Out of the Darkness
by espergirl04
Summary: She had always been told to stay away from humans but when the Night Elf ,Carya, finds a man wounded in the woods she decides to help him. Please Read and Review! I Updated, yay!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own War Craft...did make up some characters though

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Darkness was her haven. It enveloped her so fully and completely that she could move unseen past those that were her enemies. Night was her ally, her companion, and her protector. It welcomed her and she welcomed it. This particular night there was a new moon and the only light came from the flickering stars. Carya crept silently through the trees, her eyes scanned the darkness. She had been sent out as a scout after their Champion, Lyra Silvermane, had received word that a group of Undead had been spotted. At the thought of the Undead Carya clenched her fist. Their invasion had been swift and their killing had been even swifter. Pausing suddenly she crouched down low. Being a Huntress her senses were sharper then most and she had sensed something. She inhaled sharply and her nostrils flared in revulsion. It was the unmistakable stench of blood.

Warily she continued on her way, the smell was growing stronger each step. Curiosity took over her and besides it may be something worth reporting. She lowered herself down to all fours, and stealthy as a panther made her way over the where the smell was strongest. Lying in the mud near a riverbank was a man. Carya had always been warned to stay away from the race of men; they were no friends of the Night Elves. Still she continued towards him. She reached his side and saw that he was a Knight; he was clad in heavy armor. The she saw the great rip in the steel and blood turning the shining metal into a rust red. His face was hidden from her, protected by a helmet. She could not tell if he was dead or not and was not sure if she wanted to know. Something her elders had always told her when they hunted ran through her head. "Never allow an animal to suffer. Make sure you blow is swift and true, if you fail put it out of its misery quickly." She stared at the man now. Perhaps it was the same in this case. She reached for her arrows, and then decided that a dagger would do. First however, she must take his helmet off. Gently she pulled it off revealing the man's face. He was pale, yet sweat covered his face. She laid a hand on his forehead, he was burning with fever.Raising her dagger she looked at it, unsure of what to do.

The man's eyes flickered open. He lay there in his fever utterly confused. Somehow his helmet had come off allowing the cool night air to wash over him. He managed to look around him and saw nothing but darkness.

Carya leapt back in shock as his eyes opened. They were glassy with fever and pain. In them she saw confusion. She sheathed her dagger, there was no way she could kill him, she felt to much pity. It was something that many of the elders berated her for. Warriors, they said, should feel no emotions. It was something however she could not seem to control. Against her better judgment she allowed herself to become visible. She felt the darkness that wrapped her fade away and the starlight washed over her, revealing her. The Knight reacted much as she expected. He attempted to scream and move away, but in his state he only managed to let out a grunt of pain. Slowly, she made her way back to his side.

The Knight stared up at her in surprise. One minute there had been nothing but darkness, and now there was an ethereal woman standing there. It took him a moment before he realized what she was. The high cheekbones, dark shining hair, animal like behavior, and her sudden appearance lead him to realize he was looking at one of the long forgotten race. He had heard of the Night Elves before. Heard how they had been driven out by their kin, and had been shunned by the Highborn. She did not look hostile and he lay still as she knelt beside him.

Carya hesitated unsure of what to do next. His wound needed to be cleaned before it became infected, and she needed to bind it so he would not lose more blood. "I shall help you if you wish," she said, her voice reminded him of the night breeze. He nodded and she proceeded to take off his armor. Underneath he wore a thin tunic. She ripped it away from the gash in his side. It had started to stop bleeding a little. She reached into a pack that she had around her waist and pulled out a bottle of water and a rag. She cleaned out the wound and then wound a strip of cloth around him. She became uncomfortably aware of how she had never been so close to a man before. She suddenly recalled how her elders had told her that humans would bring nothing but destruction to their fragile race. She looked down at the man lying before her. He did not seem to want to harm her; even if he did he was in no position to. Besides she felt compelled to help him though she did not know why.


	2. The Knight's Story

Disclaimer:Don't own War Craft...

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Carya soon realized that they were not going anywhere that night. The human was still too weak to walk and he looked like he was ready to pass out again. With a sinking feeling she realized that whoever or whatever had attacked him could still be around. Her senses would warn her if anything unfriendly approached but there was no way to move him. The only weapons that she carried were her bow and a dagger. Her skills at fighting were great but not great enough if there were more than one attacker. Carya shook the thoughts away, it was best if she just ignored the dangers around her, if they presented themselves then she would fight. "I guess that we will have to set camp here," she said. The man nodded and Carya realized that she still did not know his name and he did not know hers. "My name is Carya," she said softly.

The knight looked up at her, glad that she had broken the silence. "That's a pretty name, it's different. Mine isAgraelith," he was silent a moment then asked, "Why did you help me?" It was not that he was ungrateful; he just did not see why she had chosen to help him. He knew that there was no friendship felt between the two races. Never had he, nor anyone he knew, encountered a nigh elf before and he did not know anything about them. The only things that he knew were what he had read about and what he had been told.

She pondered the question that he had just asked her. "I…I don't know really. I guess I helped you because I would haveregretted itif I had not done anything," she was not sure if that was the real reason. She felt drawn to him somehow. When she had taken his helmet off and seen his face she had felt something.In his face she had seensomething that reminded her of something or someone. She realized that he was not the only one with a question. Gently she reached out and with a graceful finger, traced his bandaged side. "How did this happen?" He started to sit up and she reached an arm around him to help. He leaned heavily on her for a moment then turned to face her and began to relate his tale.

"We had word that there was going to be an attack on our town. When we heard the message we weren't sure if it was orcs or the undead but we decided to prepare for the worse. Ever since Arthas turned to the darkness and became a Death Knight we've all been on edge. We barricaded our town, built defense towers, fortifications, everything that we could think of. We had archers lining the walls and knights guarding the gates. The only apparent weak point was the river the town was built on. Of course fate would have it that that was where I got stationed. The attack happened a few hours ago. There was no warning, one minute everything was all clear, and the next the docks were swarming with the Undead. I was one of the lucky ones. I saw the others getting cut down right in front of me. Men that I've known all my life that I've trained with, that I thought would never fall. I thought I was dead, I couldn't see how I'd be able to survive. They were pouring through our ranks like water trickling through a sieve. I could hear screaming coming from behind me, I knew they had infiltrated out town. Then I heard the sound of tearing metal, and I heard myself become one of the one's screaming. In my mind all I could think was get away, I had to get away. I stumbled backwards and felt my foot hit the edge of the riverbank. I let myself go. The river caught me and I felt myself go under, but I was determined not to let it take me. I managed to get my head above the water but was dragged down again. It was when I thought that I would never surface again that I felt my knee hit sand. I managed to crawl out of the water. The next thing that I knew you were there." He finished. He was surprised that she had listened to him all the way through without interruption. She had her knees tucked into her chest and rested her head on them. He could not help but notice how innocent yet dangerous she looked.

She looked at him intently then spoke, "Arthas? Is he a human?"

Agraelith nodded, "He was a prince but he turned on his own father and then revealed himself as a Death Knight, I don't suppose you would have heard of it."  
She shook her head, "No, we keep to ourselves. You're the first person outside our clan that I've ever spoken to. You are also the first human in a long time that has ever looked upon one of us."

He suddenly began to feel awe. It fully dawned on him that he was looking upon one whose race had not been seen for hundreds of years. "How old are you exactly if you don't mind me asking," he was curious to see if she had been there when they had split away from the High Elves.

"I'm young for my kind, only one hundred and thirty."

"Only one hundred and five years older then me," he said with a smile.

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Sorry that I cut it off here but I'll write more soon. Let me know what you think! 


	3. By the Fire

Carya stood up stretching her legs, "If we stay here for the rest of the night I should probably collect some firewood.  It is getting colder already."  

Agraelith nodded, "Fire would be nice, you don't think anyone will see it do you?"

She could see that the battle he had fought was still on his mind.  Though he tried to sound light hearted she sense his fear.  "I do not believe anyone will see.  Besides, I am here."  She pulled out her dagger and twirled it playfully; tossing it lightly into the air she caught it easily and sheathed it once more.  He did not look too relieved. 

"Are you sure you can handle it if we _were _attacked?"

She shook her head, "No, but I would try."

 "Are you sure you can fight, you're a woman."

She looked at him shocked.  Perhaps that was why her elders had told her to stay away from the likes of men.  He seemed friendly enough but also a bit patronizing.  "We women train to fight as soon as we can hold a bow.  The majority of our warriors are women; do you truly doubt my skills?"

            She found that Agraelith was grinning, "I was only joking, I really have no doubt in you.  In fact, I'd rather hate to be the one fighting you."

            She was puzzled by his smile, it was almost playful.  Had her elders seen her conversing so loosely with a human she knew they would not be pleased.  He seemed to notice her sudden discomfort, "You may want to gather the wood before it gets to dark."

 "The darkness is my home," Carya reminded him.  He was right though.  She did not want to leave him alone in complete darkness, though it did not look like it could get any darker.

            She felt so at home under the sweet smelling trees.  Her footsteps could not be heard as she silently searched for dry wood.  Starlight shimmered between the trees and she deftly reached down to grab a dead branch.  She felt sad as she collected the dead wood.  They had once been so full of life.  She laid a hand on one of the giant trees surrounding her.  At first she only felt the roughness of the bark, but then she felt a small tingle.  Magic.  The magic that was in everything.  She smiled content for the moment.  Then her mind returned to the present.  She should get back to Agraelth.

            When she returned she found him asleep.  Tossing down the wood she knelt over it.  Concentrating hard she lay her hands on it.  One spark was all she needed.  The tingling sensation spread down her arms into her fingertips and she closed her eyes. Quickly she yanked her hand back as the wood caught fire.  She leaned back for a moment to admire the leaping flames.  They were beautiful to her; they had been formed out of the magic from within herself, not like the High Born.  A scowl crossed her face; they should have never tampered with magic to begin with.  Carya hated thinking about them; she decided to make herself busy instead.  She reached into her pack and pulled out a soft fur blanket.  Instead of using it, she rolled it up and gently placed it under Agraelith's head.  His face looked calm in sleep.  His golden hair shimmered in the flickering firelight and without thinking she brushed it out of his face.  She lightly placed her hand on his cheek to check if his fever had subsided.  The early stages of a beard tickled her hand and she withdrew it quickly.  Never had she touched a man like this before, she knew it was nothing but still…she returned to the other side of the fire and sat down.  She would keep watch that night.  Her eyes wandered, constantly scanning the darkness for approaching enemies.  Finally she let them rest on the blazing fire before her. The light played on her delicate features, reflecting in her violet eyes.  She was worried; Agraelith had no home left according to his description.  She could not just leave him wounded in the woods.  The only thing that she could do was take him back to her people and hope they would be received.  Hopefully Lyra Silvermane would understand and would be willing to heal him then send him on his way.  She dreaded to think what the other possibilities were; after all there was no friendship between humans and Night Elves.  She knew that if he was not welcome then she would not be either.  Leading a human to their glade would mean that there was a possibility she could be exiled.  In her heart though, she knew that she would rather face exile then leave him to die alone.

Sunlight warmed his face and he groggily opened his eyes.  His whole side felt like it was on fire and he uncontrollably grunted in pain and confusion.  Through his still sleep clouded eyes he saw her.  It was the first time that he had really been able to look at her and he was struck by her raw beauty.  Her skin was painted the color of the sky at night; right after the sun has set.  It was a deep purple and he noticed dark blue designs tattooed all over.  Her hair was so black that it seemed to gleam blue and her ears poked out of the thick waves, long and delicately pointed.  She knelt by his side and her face made him want to reach out and touch it, it was so perfect.  It was finely featured with high cheekbones and arching eyebrows.  Her violet eyes were filled with concern.  He felt her hand rest on his forehead for a moment and a tremor ran down his spine.  

"Your fever has left.  If you are able to move I shall take you to my home and you may be healed there.  Afterwards you are free to go where you will," she stood gracefully.

"Are you serious?" he managed to croak, "How long has it been since a man has entered one of you sacred groves?"

"Not for thousands of years has any human ever set foot in our woods."

"Are you sure your umm…Chief? Queen? King? Won't mind?" he looked slightly worried.

"I do not know.  I do not believe they would turn away the wounded."

"If they did what would they do?"

She shrugged, "Perhaps put me into exile for 'betraying' my kind, or perhaps something else."

"You're willing to risk it for me?"

"I have chosen to help you and I will do so."  It was the truth.  In deciding to help him the previous night, she had made it her duty to make sure he remained safe for the time being.  "Would you like anything to eat?" she had anticipated his answer and was already digging through her pack.  She withdrew a plump, dark red fruit and handed it to him.  "This is the fruit of my people and can only be found in our villages."  He took it and turned it over in his hand admiring it for a moment then he asked, "Are you sure I can eat this?  I mean it's not sacred to you or anything is it?"  Carya smiled, "I have offered it to you, you may eat it."  She then walked off towards the river bank holding a cup like leaf in her hand.  She let the cool water run over her fingers for a moment then filled the leaf and returned to Agraelith's side.  When he was done with the fruit she handed it to him and he took it gratefully and drank.  Carya waited for him to finish, "We should probably be going soon."  Agraelith nodded, "Yeah I guess we should."  She reached down a hand and helped him stand.  He leaned on her heavily for a moment.  He was at least a head taller then her and it was rather awkward.  "I uhh…sorry," he stammered, but she shook her head, she had not minded.  He could not help her with cleaning camp because of his wound so she covered the fire and shoved everything back in her pack.  When she was finished she walked over to him and looked up into his clear blue eyes, "Let us go now, soon you will see the vanished race of the Night Elves."   


	4. Home

~This is my longest chapter so far, I hope you like it J  I'll try to update soon since its spring break.  It's my b-day so please review and make me happy!!!~

The heavy footfalls of her companion were something Carya was unaccustomed to.  She was so used to traveling with those like her who could move as silent as the breeze.  When they first set off the sound had made her nervous and jumpy but now they were soothing. His ragged breathing was worrying her however.  Finally she turned around.  "We can stop if you need to."

            Agraelith shook his head, "I'm alright."  He smiled weakly

            "Saying it does not make it so," Carya said softly.

            "I'll be alright, don't worry about me," he attempted a grin.

            Suddenly Carya realized who he reminded her of.  She had pushed the memories out of her mind for so long that she had forgotten.  Galder, the name of the druid flashed through her mind.  She had tried to save him; instead she had only watched him die.

            "Let us rest here, even if you do not need to, I do," it was a lie of course and Agraelith knew.  He did not protest however and they sat down under a tree.  She was silent for a moment wondering if she could tell him.  Finally she spoke, "I had a friend by the name of Galder.  He was a druid…" a thought crossed her mind, "Humans are no friends of orcs are they?"  Agraelith shook his head vehemently and she continued.  "Neither are the Night Elves.  We tried to befriend them, we truly did.  They like us are outcasts.  They did not want friendship though, only our lands.  So we fought, we mostly had skirmishes.  One day the orcs began pressing in on us, I was excited because it was my first battle.  They did not attack in great number and so we thought it would be an easy victory.  We were wrong.  Thousands and thousands of orcs suddenly poured through the trees and soon the small skirmish turned into an all out war.  Outnumbered though we were we managed to defeat them, but our victory was grim.  Our people had been for the most part slaughtered, I was one of the lucky ones who survived…about Galder though.  I found him like I found you, half dead.  I remember it so clearly, lifting his head into my lap crying.  I had promised that I would watch out for him, that I would allow no harm to befall him.  He was younger than I and the youngest of the druids.  I remember thinking that it all was not real, that he would not die; I told him everything would be alright.  He looked at me with his soft brown eyes and told me that saying it does not make it so, that he knew he would die."

            Agraelith stared at her shocked, "I'm sorry..."

            "I did not say that to scare you, only to let you know that it is okay to admit that you are hurt."

            "I don't mean to be rude or prying but…did you love him? Galder?"

            Carya looked him straight in the eye, "Night Elves do not love.  We learned long ago that love only ends in despair."

            He shook his head, "Even if love does end in despair it's beautiful while it lasts."

"And what about you human, have you ever loved?"

            "Not really loved.  There have been girls that I've liked but I'm not sure about loved."

            "Oh, I suppose love is a strong feeling.  Sometimes I think that love is not so bad, but I can not know."  
            "Why not?  Just because your ancestors had bad luck doesn't mean that you can't."

            Carya shook her head, "I can not because I do not know how."

            Agraelith had no reply to this and silence fell between them once more.  It was not long before he succumbed to his exhaustion and fell asleep.  Carya leaned back against the tree, deep in thought.  Love.  It was not a word common to Night Elves; even her parents had not loved each other.  Night Elves married not out of love but out of necessity.  She knew that it had not always been so, her mother had told her stories of long ago.  Somehow it had all changed and the Night Elves stopped loving and had become cold warriors.  Carya wondered which way was better, to love and have to feel despair, or to be cold and feel nothing.

            The sun had risen further and Agraelith sat up rubbing his head, groaning as the familiar pain shot through his side.  He saw Carya beside him curled into a relaxed ball, her breathing even in sleep.  He smiled; it was about time she finally slept after being awake all last night guarding the camp and taking care of him.  He lay back down his arms under his head and watched her sleep.  She looked so peaceful and content, no worries shown in her face as they did when she was awake.  After a while he decided to wake her, reaching over he shook her shoulder gently.  Catlike, she stretched and sat up as did he.  "I don't know how long it is to your home but we should probably get going," he said softly.

            Carya looked around, "If I traveled alone I could be there in perhaps an hour but with your wound it will take longer," she looked up at the sky, "We will reach there before the sun begins to set."

            As they neared her village certain changes were noticeable.  The forest became quieter, chirping of birds ceased, and the rustling leaves stopped.  The most noticeable change however, was the sunlight.  It had shone brightly through the trees then suddenly there was almost none trickling through.  "Be careful," she whispered to Agraelith.  He nodded and followed closely behind her.  Her eyes seemed to glitter strangely and she crept through the trees and she breathed in deeply the sweet tangy sent of the pine trees, and the woodier sent of hardwoods.  She grabbed his hand suddenly, "Step only where I step."  Her eyes scanned the ground and she found the path she was looking for, anyone else but a Night Elf would have missed it.  She walked slowly, careful not to step off, traps were set everywhere.  They were nearing a strange clump of trees.  As they neared Agraelith realized, surprised, that the trees seemed to be pulsating with.  Carya stopped a few feet from them, "Say nothing unless you are asked."  Then she walked forward and placed her had on a tree trunk and whispered something, then stepped back quickly.  Two trees groaned and creaked until they formed an arching doorway.  Together Carya and Agraelith stepped through, entering the home of the Night Elves.   

            Before them was a soft carpet of lush green grass and strewn around were Elves lounging and cats playing.  All together it was beautiful, Carya stopped to watch them with a smile on her face.  She was home.  None seemed to notice them and she stepped further rather nervously, uncomfortably aware how out of place Agraelith was.  Stepping forward she grinned as a small blur of fur shot towards her.  Agraelith stepped back in surprise as the small fur ball shot its self into Carya's arms.  She laughed and stroked the panther cub's silky fur.  "This is Star," she said turning towards Agraelith, "I guess she missed me."  She held Star up so Agraelith could pet her but a harsh voice suddenly cut through, "How dare you break the laws of our race sister!"  Carya whirled around to face the speaker and Star leapt from her arms and wound herself around her feet.  The Night Elves who had been lounging were now forming a semi-circle around them.  "I brought the human here because I found him half dead on the river bank.  He needs healing.  Was I to leave him to die?"

            "You have broken our laws!  You know that no human is to set foot upon our sacred land!"

            Carya scowled, she had never liked the woman speaking, her name was Rina.  "I can not remember ever learning of a law that stated any such thing.  As far as I recall, anyone can set foot in our grove, but no one has ever chosen to."

            Rina ignored Carya's last statement "You know I speak the truth Carya.  You shall pay for bringing this human here!"

            Carya reached back and grabbed Agraelith's hand; he tightened his grip reassuringly.  "Shall we call Lyra Silvermane and see what she has to say?" Carya said calmly.

            One of the Elves standing nodded, "I will fetch her," she said with a clear voice and ran off.

            Rina was glaring, "You know Carya that you have betrayed your own race.  You have brought a filthy human upon our lands; he dirties our grass and contaminates our home with his very existence."

            Carya felt Agraelith stiffen and she squeezed his hand gently, "Seeing as how grass grows out of the dirt I doubt he can dirty it any more and I do believe it is your tongue that contaminates and not his existence."

            A murmur went through the crowd and someone else spoke, to her dismay it was one of her closer friends, "What is this sister?  You stand up for a human and insult your own kind."

            Carya's frown deepened.  This was not going at all how she had hoped.  She felt Star rub her leg and knew she still had at least one friend.  "I stand up for him because he has no one else to, and I insult because he was insulted first."

            "Still, he is a human and we are your own kind.  Why did you help him in the first place?  Do you believe he would have helped you if you were the one wounded?"

            Carya had not thought about that, now that she did she was not sure she wanted to know the answer.  "What does it matter?  Besides I helped him because I could not simply leave him when I knew he would die."

            "You always were to compassionate Carya," it was one of the elders that spoke.

            "Is that so wrong?  Is caring for others so wrong?" she asked almost pleadingly.

            "No it is not," a booming voice called out.  Everyone turned and sank to their knees as Lyra Silverman approached; she was a figure that commanded respect.  Her skin was not painted the violet color of the rest of the Night Elves; instead deep blue designs covered almost her whole body.  Her dark hair was long and hung in shining ringlets and her face looked like it had been chiseled from stone.  Her dark green eyes were filled with hope and kindness.  Carya kneeled, pulling Agraelith down with her and bowed her head.  Lyra nodded for them to rise.  "What is this Carya, I have been told that you brought a human on our lands."

            She nodded and Agraelith stepped forward bowing his head with respect.  Lyra sighed, "Carya you know our rules as well as everyone else.  No outsiders are permitted especially one of the other races," her voice seemed weary.

            "He was wounded!  I brought him only to be healed.  His town was attacked by the undead and was destroyed.  It was only by luck that he lived, the river carried him away and I found him."

            Lyra's head snapped up, "The undead?"

            "Yes," Carya replied.

            Lyra shook her head, "This is bad news," she studied Agraelith for a moment.  Her eyes took in his pale face and his pain filled eyes and then his bandaged side.  The white cloth had turned a dark red.  "I will heal him since you have brought him here."  There was surprised whispering from the other Elves.  "However, bringing him here was against our rules.  Therefore I must banish you both from our lands.  After he was been healed you must both leave and never can you return again Carya."  Her voice was filled with sadness.  "Follow me human."  Agraelith looked at Carya; she nodded her head then turned away as he followed Lyra to the healing waters.

            She walked around silently, taking in for the last time the only home that she had ever known.  The large trees surrounding her were her home.  She watched the bright figures of the wisps floating eerily around, and saw the dark figures of the panthers lying in the grass.  She heard soft ever steady sound of the water trickling into the wells, and she smelled the fragrance of the fruits and herbs surrounding her.  A hand rested on her shoulder and she turned, her friend, Elenna, was standing there, tears in her eyes.  

"I will miss you Carya.  I hope that you find happiness in the lands of light, I almost envy you in a way," she hugged her and Carya felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks.  

            "I will miss you too," she began sobbing, "This is the only home that I have ever known and now I must leave it with a man whom I know almost nothing about.  I must go into a world so different from ours.  A world in which I am not wanted!"

            "The world is not so bad Carya.  I have never seen it but sometimes I imagine it.  Remember how we used to dream about leaving this 'haven', remember how we used to talk of all the adventures we could have?  Think, you will no longer have to live in darkness, you will be able to see the sun everyday."

            Carya wiped her tears away and hugged her friend one last time, "The night is my home, but perhaps I will come to love the golden sun."

            "Look!" Elenna said suddenly.  

            Lyra was leading Agraelith back towards them.  Every single woman was staring at him.  He was rid of the bloodstains and grime and was now wearing a clean shirt with a cape so blue it was almost black that had been woven by the Night Elves.  He strode behind Lyra, brushing his shining blonde hair out of his gray-blue eyes.  He looked strong, stern, and rugged, with a prominent chin lightly covered with blonde stubble.  He glanced at Carya then looked away.  Lyra stopped when she reached them and took Carya's hand, "Come daughter," she led her and Agraelith to the arching trees.  "I'm going to cast a simple spell on you that will make you forget your way back here," she paused a moment then spoke, "I am truly sorry Carya, but I must do this," she raised her hands and placed one on Carya's forehead and the other on Agraelith's.  She said nothing but closed her eyes and concentrated.  Suddenly Carya felt dizzy she staggered backwards and opened her eyes.  Lyra's voice broke through her haze, "Once you have left here you will no longer be able to remember the pathway back." She wrapped Carya in a warm hug, "Goodbye my child, may the goddess of the moon protect you."  She then turned to Agraelith, "Thank you for telling me the details of the attack, I know it was hard for you to relive it again.  Please take care of Carya; we know nothing of the ways of the outside world."  

Agraelith nodded, "She has helped me at her own risk and I shall repay the kindness she showed me.  Thank you for healing me," he bowed and together he and Carya walked through the archway.  The trees closed gently behind them and as they walked away Carya knew she would never again be able to walk to path to her home. 


	5. Into the Woods

~Thank you for all the reviews!!  In case it wasn't really clear this story takes place before the battle at mount Hyjal.  I have to admit though that I never really played the campaigns (I watched my brother do that) only the single player.  Hopefully though my story still fits pretty well with the story line~

            Carya found herself trailing behind her human companion.  It was almost as if he was trying to avoid her but as they were now traveling together it was rather hard.  She sighed softly wondering if she should say something or remain silent.  Finally she could stand the silence between them no longer, "Agraelith…" he continued to walk, "Agraelith!" he turned around.  "Why will you not talk to me?" she asked.

            "It's all my fault you got exiled, I figured you didn't want to talk to me," he hung his head.  

            "You are all I have now…besides I think this might be for the best."

            "What?" he looked at her confused, "You mean you wanted to be banished?"

            She looked at him in disbelief, "No, do you think I would want to be banished from the only home I knew for over a hundred years?"

            "Sorry," he shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure what she was getting at.

            "It is just that I would have never been able to see the outside world if I had not found you.  I used to dream of it sometimes, dream of leaving the darkness of my home and live in the world where the sun reaches out to it.  I could not leave however; even if I were allowed to I do not think I would have."  She could remember how as a child she would lie back and watch the stars with Galder and Elenna.  The one conversation that they never exhausted was the outside world; of course she had never thought that it would actually come true, that she would actually be able to leave.  When they had talked, they had always imagined that they would leave together on a grand adventure.  The adventure she had dreamed of had finally happened, only not the way she would have ever expected, she was exiled and with a human.

             "I understand, so you really aren't mad at me for being the reason you're now exiled?" he looked down at her and hoped that she was not.  He did not know if he could stand her being angry at him.

            "I am not.  I have no regrets in helping--" Her delicate ears had picked up a noise and she motioned for Agraelith to be quiet.  The forest was still, searching with her sharp eyes she could see nothing unusual.  Still, she had heard something, she was sure of it.  There!  She heard it again, a slight rustling sound.  Her head snapped up and she peered into the branches above their heads.  Two shining eyes could be seen through the curtain of leaves.  The panther cub catapulted off the branch landing on her chest, knocking her to the forest floor.  Carya laughed and wrapped her arm around Star's furry body then lifted her gently in the air.  "You have become a quit a little hunter," she brought Star down and kissed her between the ears.  She pushed herself up and held up Star so Agraelith could take her.

            "She won't bite me will she?" he asked studying the small cat.

            Carya laughed, "You throw yourself into battles yet you are afraid to hold a kitten."

            Agraelith scowled then had to smile, "Oh fine," he reached down and took the cub into his arms.

            Springing nimbly to her feet, she saw that Star was gnawing on Agraelith's hand.  "She likes you," she said with a smile.

            "More like she wants to eat me," he grinned and lifted the cat into the air then rubbed Star's nose with his.  Star purred loudly and he slung her gently around so that she was draped around his neck.  He winced slightly as Star dug her tiny needlelike claws into his shoulder, but he did not mind.  "Alright, so where is it that we're going?"

            Carya looked at him blankly.  She had not really thought of it, now that she did she realized she had no idea.  True, she had dreamed of exploring but she never thought it would actually happen and she did not have any idea where she would go if she did.  A sudden realization hit her; she could go wherever she pleased.  No longer could she go only a short way from her home.  She had no home.  No one was expecting her to return from a hunt with food, no one was expecting her to come back from scouting to tell them what she had found, no one was expecting anything from her.  She was free.  Free from the never ending night.  "I don't know really."

            Agraelith nodded slowly, "Alright, I didn't figure you were headed anyplace in particular, for that matter neither am I."

            Carya hesitated, "Are you not curious about what became of your town?  There may be survivors…" she trailed off seeing the look on his face.

            He stared at the ground.  In his head he could hear the screams of terror and agony; he could see the red of blood and the fire that consumed everything he lived for.  He could not go back; the thought of facing the aftermath of the attack scared him.  His shoulders began to shake and he wiped away the tears that had begun.  He could not cry in front of Carya, he did not want her to think that he was weak.  After all, he was a soldier.  "I, I don't think that there's much left."

            Carya understood what he meant; she had seen the tears in his eyes even though he had tried to hide them.  His body had been healed but a wound still remained.  She felt uncomfortable, perhaps she never should have asked.  It was too soon for him to face what had happened and she should have realized it.  "I am sorry for bringing it up; I should have realized the pain it would bring."

            Agraelith looked at her, there was sadness in her eyes as well, "It's alright, don't feel bad about it."  Ever since he had first met her, the sadness in her eyes had been there, it was part of what made her so beautiful.  He was not the only one who had experienced pain and had seen battles and men fall.  She had told him the story of Galder and how she had watched her friend die and her race nearly wiped out.  They were more alike then he had originally thought.  "We are warriors I suppose," he said finally with a half smile.

            Carya smiled sadly up at him, "At least you were able to choose that path."

            "What?" he was somewhat surprised.  He remembered her telling him that nearly all Night Elves were warriors; it had not occurred to him that it was not by choice.  "You mean you never wanted to fight?"

            She shook her head, "Not really, but I did not have much of a choice did I?"  As a child Carya had been trained to fight, she had held a bow in her hands as soon as they were able to.  After she had mastered the most important weapon to an elf she had been trained with a knife, short sword, spear, and staff.  Fighting however held no interest in her; it was the weapons themselves that she found interesting.  "I suppose what I would have really wanted to do was become a weapon artist."

            "Weapon artist?  You mean teach weaponry?"

            She shook her head, "I believe that humans call them blacksmiths."  

            "Oh, you wanted to make weapons, why couldn't you?"

"Since our people are warriors weapons are very important to us.  That is why making weapons has become an art, only those who are born into the position can make weapons." She unsheathed her dagger and handed it to him.  The hilt was coated with silver and was in the shape of dragon wings.  The blade itself was made of a light metal and matched the Night Elves perfectly.  It was delicate yet dangerous looking with a slight curve and an intricate dragon design etched into it.  He handed it back to her.

"My dagger's not nearly so nice, they're made for battle and that's all the thought that goes into it," He paused for a moment, "Should we get moving?"

She realized that they had simply been standing there talking, "Yes, we should probably find a place to set camp and decide where we should go."

"I agree.  Know any good places to stay tonight?"

"There is a hidden clearing a couple miles from here, I have stayed there before during long hunts."

"Alright then, lead the way!" They started off once more, this time with a sure idea of where they were headed.

The sun was still shining when they made their way through the trees into a small carpeting of grass.  Star leapt dropped from Agraelith's broad shoulders, landed neatly on the ground, and immediately began exploring the area.  Carya swung off her bow and quiver allowing them to drop gently to the ground along with her cloak.  She noticed Agraelith watching her bow with an odd expression, his hand went immediately to his waist and his face fell.  "What is it?"

"My sword, I completely forgot about it.  It must've been swept away in the river," he kicked at the ground.

            "It will be all right, I am sure you will be able to buy a new one in the next town or city."

            At her words he began frantically pat himself down and finally produced a small, jingling, leather pouch.  He sighed in relief, without money they would not be able to get very far.  With what he had they still would not be able to get very far.  "You don't happen to have any money do you?"  He was somewhat surprised when Carya nodded and pulled out a pouch of gold and tossed it to him.  It was considerably heavier then his own.  

            "We Night Elves have Wisps to mine for us; we sometimes trade with outsiders but mostly just keep the gold for ourselves," she explained seeing his shocked look.  Looking down at herself she could see why this may come as a surprise to him.  Night Elves did look somewhat…primitive.  A fairly short piece of fur was tied around her waist creating a makeshift skirt; another strip of fur was tied around her top to cover her.  Agraelith had not commented on her dress and she decided not to worry about it.

            The fire was lit, this time without the use of magic.  Carya stretched out gratefully beside it, glad that Agraelith had decided to take the first watch.  It was not long before sleep overcame her.  It seemed only a few minutes had past when she felt someone shaking her gently.  She was about to roll over and continue sleeping when she realized that it was her turn to take watch.  Sitting up she rubbed sleep from her eyes and managed to smile, "I am ready to take watch."  Without saying anything Agraeltih lay down beside her and soon she heard his breathing slow.  Resting her head on her knees she stared into the darkness, her hand resting absentmindedly on her bow.  A rustling sound came from her right and she turned only to find Star come running back, leaping on her playfully.  Carya pushed the kitten off gently wondering how she could be so playful both day and night.  The night began to fade into the dull gray of morning and Carya sighed relieved, the forest was still safe.  

            Agraelith felt someone tugging at his sleeve and he sat up groggily.  "What is it?" he mumbled then realized it was Carya.  "Sorry, couldn't remember where I was for a second."  He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was just barely starting to rise; they had a full day ahead of them.      

~Sorry I ended it there but I was kind of starting to ramble and I had to end somewhere.  I know that this chapter was kind of slow but I promise my next chapter will be a lot more exciting~


	6. The Raven

            The sun was just beginning to sweep over the land as the Priestess made her way up the shadowed path.  She stood at the edge of the cliff and looked over at the forest below with a slight smile on her lips.  Her sharp eyes could pick out the two figures moving below her, a Night Elf and a human.  Her ears pricked as footsteps came from behind.  She did not bother to turn around; the even, heavy steps told her who it was.

            "There was no need to send the child away," a gruff voice said.

            "I know, it nearly broke my heart to see her in tears, but Carya was meant for something else.  She was perhaps one of our greatest warriors, excelling at every weapon..."

            "She is also beautiful...like her mother." Lyra smiled at this but said nothing.  "Did you tell her?"

            "If I had wanted her to know I would have raised her myself!" Lyra snapped.

            "I am sorry."

            Lyra sighed, "I just did not want her to have to follow in my path.  If I had let it get out that I had a child then they would have expected her to become a Priestess as well.  A Priestess is the greatest honor anyone could have, but...Carya is different.  I foresaw that she was destined for greatness in a different way."

            "Do you believe that she will be the one?"

            "No, no one can do that.  If our own race was split how can you believe that all can be united?"

            "I at least have hope."

            "And I will not be let down when that hope fails," Lyra turned at last to look at the Keeper of the Grove, his face was sad.  Her voice turned softer, "If you truly find hope in it then believe.  At least you have hope left."

            "Why has your hope faded Lyra?  We fought the Undead before, they can be defeated.  Do you truly have no faith in the other races?"

            "Look at us!  We hide in the shadows of the night, we have been forsaken by all else.  Why should I believe in those who drove us to skulk in the darkness?"

            The Keeper of the Grove shifted uncomfortably, it was best he thought to change the subject.  He cleared his throat, "Does the human know?"

            "Know what?" Lyra asked a little frustrated.

            He hesitated for a moment," Know that Carya is your daughter."

            "Yes, I could not have her wandering around unprotected.  He has become her sworn guardian...of course she knows nothing of it."

            "Can this human be trusted?"

            "I believe he can, he drank the waters of truth before I questioned him.  He is Agraelith son of Lillytha, the daughter of an honest farmer, and Arturae, a Paladin."

            "The son of a warrior, he is fit to be her guard."    Another thought suddenly crossed his mind, "Did you see Lyra?"  He was referring to the gift of sight that the ones' sworn to the Moon Goddess possessed.

            "Some...Agraelith and Carya will have their own small parts to play in this war."  There was silence for a moment, "Shall we go back?" Lyra asked finally.  Without waiting for an answer she disappeared down the shadowed path.  The Keeper of the Grove however did not follow.  Instead he went to the spot the Priestess had occupied a moment before and spotted the two fading figures.

            "Be safe my daughter." he whispered.

            The bright sun shone down on them and Carya squinted against its glare, unaccustomed to being in the light.  Her eyes were beginning to sting slightly and she looked overt at Agraelith to see if he was having similar problems.  He looked perfectly normal, in fact better then she had ever seen him.  He seemed well...happy.  The sun that was unwelcome to her was quite welcome to him.  He loved the warmth of it on his skin and the light that it spread out all around them.  

            Agraelith looked at Carya and noticed her rubbing a hand across her eyes.  It suddenly occurred to him that having never been under the sun like this before it was probably irritating.  When he had been sick as a child and forced to stay indoors for a week going outside again had been somewhat painful on his eyes.  He could not imagine how Carya must feel having never been out in the sun so much before.  He could not think of what to do.  Looking around him all he saw was yellow-green grass.  It looked almost comfortable.  That was when it fully hit him.  They did not have to be anywhere at any specific time…in fact they did not actually _have_ to be anywhere.  He stopped walking and Carya looked at him puzzled.

            "Is something wrong?" she asked.

            "No…in fact everything is great!  Think about it, we don't have to be anywhere at all.  We can do whatever we want to!"

            "But aren't we going to the city?"

            "Well...yes...eventually.  We can take our time getting there though, can't we?

            Carya could not believe that this was coming from Agraelith.  She had never imagined that a human warrior would be like this.  He sounded almost like a child who did not have any chores to do.  "What are you proposing then?" she asked, still not completely sure what he was getting at.

            Agraelith flopped down on the grass and sprawled out grinning up at her.  "C'mon, I say we relax for a while."  He grunted when Star leapt on top of him and proceeded gnaw at his clothes.  

            Carya laughed and sat down next to him.  Agraelith reached out and pulled her down so that she was lying beside him.  Carya closed her eyes against the sun and sighed contentedly.  There was silence between them, but it was not a bad silence, it was a comfortable silence.  Finally she spoke, "Tell me of your people," if she was going to live with humans she may as well learn all she could about them.

            Agraelith wondered where to start and then proceeded to tell her a little of the humans history.  Of the humans ongoing battles with the orcs and now the new plague that had set upon them.  He then told her of Arthas's betrayal.  "It is said that when Arthas returned home from his journey rose petals were thrown to carpet the ground he walked on.  The people were overjoyed, their prince had returned.  He strode up the steps to the throne room full of confidence flinging the great door open to face his eagerly awaiting father.  The king, blinded by his love for his son was oblivious to the changes in him until it was too late.  Arthas threw back his heavy cloak revealing his new identity…a Death Knight.  With confidence he walked to his stunned father and before anyone knew what was happening the steps to the throne were stained the same color red as the rose petals littering the ground."

            "He…he slew his own father?" Carya asked shocked.

            "Yes, the great prince turned on his own people and killed their beloved king.  No one could believe it.  The once magnificent kingdom was broken, streets once filled with laughter and dancing was filled with screams and death."  Both he and Carya leapt warily to their feet as Star suddenly gave out a hiss and ran back to the protection of the human and night elf.  A large raven was sitting on the ground smoothing his ruffled feathers and eyeing the cat angrily.  To the surprise of Carya, Agraelith and Star the large bird was replaced by an old stooped man.  Agraelith's hand immediately leapt to his sword.

            The man spoke slowly and deliberately, "And all of that could have been prevented had those fools simply listened to me.  But no one seems to want to hear me out, they all think I'm a crazed old man…will you listen to what I have to say?"

~Sorry it took me so long to update, lots of computer problems…anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  I'll write more soon~


	7. Prophecies

Agraelith unsheathed his sword and within a matter of seconds Carya had an arrow aimed at the stranger.  Agraelith spoke first, "Fools you may call them yet they would have been more foolish to listen to the banter of a traitor!"

            Medivh seemed to ignore the last remark, "What about you Carya, will you listen to what I have to say?"

            Carya's eyes narrowed.  It was plain that this man had a great degree of power; his transformation had told her that much and it did not surprise her that he knew her name.  "I know nothing of who you are, as you must know I am a child of the night.  Still…I am not quite sure that I would trust any man who takes the shape of the raven, for they are the symbol of evil."

            The man pushed the heavy hood of his cloak back and chuckled, "I thought that you as a Night Elf would know better.  The raven is the symbol of wisdom and that is what I have come to spread.  Do not listen to your human companion; his thoughts of me have been twisted like many others.  It is true that I was once touched with evil and helped to spread it…those days are long past and I regret how easily I succumbed to the dark side.  Now I am being punished for my deeds.  I am Medivh and have been sent to aid the races against the force that has come to destroy your lands."

            Cary was surprised as Agraelith took a step in front of her, placing himself between her and the sorcerer.  "You say that the death of the king could have been prevented, why did you not do something?"

            "I tried!  They threw me out saying that I was filled with nonsense, I tried to warn them but they refused to hear me out!  Will you make the same mistake?"

            Carya stood frozen staring past the knight at Medivh.  Finally, to the great surprise of Agraelith, she slid in front of him.  "I believe that you do what you do for your own reasons yet what you say is the truth.  Though I feel reluctance to trust you, I will hear what it is you have to say."

            "What?!" Agraelith spluttered, "Carya, don't listen to him!  He is an old fool who would say nothing that would interest us!"  
            "Then why is it that you refuse to listen if that is so?" Carya asked him calmly.

            "…"

            "Alright, if you wish to speak then do so now prophet."

            Medivh sighed glad that there was at least one person in the world with some sense left.  "I have come to tell you some information that may concern you both greatly…" he paused to see if the knight had some remark, he was right.

            "Get on with it you old prophetic-" 

            Carya cut him off sharply, "let him speak!"  
            "I don't understand why you want to hear what it is he's got to say."

            "You told me the story of Arthas and he told us the story of his warning.  I believe both are true so perhaps we should listen."

            "I am glad that there is someone on this earth with intelligence…truly a pity your race is so secluded, though I can see why they are," he glanced at Agraelith, "Now then...may I continue?"

            With an irritated look on his face Agraelith nodded.

            "I have gone to both the humans and the orcs.  Neither seemed exactly receptive of my words so I speak them now to you.  The reason? The reason that I have chosen to speak with you is because you Carya, a Night Elf, chose to help this human.  Why did you do it?  Why did you save him when you have been told since you were a child that you were forbidden to ever make contact with a human.  I believe that you had an idea of the consequences that you would receive for your actions yet you still helped him.  You Agraelith, you a human who have grown up with the stories of the night children chose to receive her help and chose to stay with her.  You could have left her once you received the healing yet you did not.  Why did you do it?  Why did you help him and why did you stay?  You felt it.  I know it, I sense it.  You have felt something that compels you to want to be with each other…not love no, not yet at least.  It is something else…something deeper.  This is why I have come to you.  I beseech you both to listen to what I say now!  You two can change the outcome of the war that approaches.  A human and a Night Elf, the ties that exist between the two of you can change everything.  For thousands of years the Night Elves have never left the comfort of their haven and for thousands of years the friendships that once existed between humans and Night Elves were broken.  Now those ties can be rebuilt if you choose to do so.  Heed me I say and remember my words, let the bond be broken and the mighty griffin will fall…spread the bond between you and he shall rise above!"  With a swirl of his cloak the prophet was gone.  The large bird black as coals rose into the sky; it swooped down once more as if a gesture of farewell and was gone into the clear sky.

            Carya bent down to pick up a single black feather and tucked it safely in her pouch.  Agraelith watched her silently then turned back to the sky trying to spot the raven.  Medivh, traitor to the human race was now it appeared trying to redeem himself.  He agreed with what Carya had said that whatever the prophet was trying to do, he was doing it for his own purposes…whatever they were.  He jumped, dropping his sword as something pricked his leg.  Scooping up the frazzled kitten with one hand he sheathed his sword with the other.

            "If that's how you react when something startles you, I think I might want to do the protecting," Carya said with a smile.

            Agraelith brushed his golden hair out of his reddening face.  He could not imagine how his former General would have reacted had he seen something like that.  No doubt he would have been punished in some way…a flogging perhaps.  Mistakes such as that would cost you and possibly others their lives.  He was surprised at his own reaction, never before had he done such a thing.  Carya spoke again with gentle seriousness.

            "I am sorry…there are wounds that even the power of a Priestess can not heal."

            "I can't slip up like this…if something happens, like a surprise attack or something, then what?  I can't let it happen again."  _I promised her mother I would protect her…I can't let her down.  I can't let Carya down.  I don't want anything to happen to her, I won't let anything happen to her_, he thought.

            She noticed the frown growing on his handsome face and she decided to change the subject.  "What do you think of Medivh's words?" she knew it was not something he would like to discuss but they had to talk about it sooner or later.  Besides, anger was better then the look he wore now.  His reaction however was not how she thought it would be.  Instead he looked thoughtful.

            "I'm not sure…what he said about feeling a bond is true though…when I first saw you, I can't explain it, I just felt…I don't know…"

            "I know what you speak of.  I felt compelled to help you though I did not know why, still I do not fully know."

            "The part that I didn't understand was that last part, the part about a griffin and it rising or falling."

            "I do not know of what he spoke."  The part that had caught her attention the most was the part about love.  He had said that they did not love each other…yet.  She could not love, she could never love.  Could she?

            "Who knows, people like him can never simply come out and say what they mean."

            "I suppose it would be too easy for them to do that…what did he mean when he said that the ties we have can change everything?"

            "I'm not quite sure.  I really don't see how we can change anything.  What of the friendships between humans and Night Elves?"

            "I doubt that we could repair that either.  You saw how they reacted when I brought you there to be healed."

            None of what the old prophet had said made sense to them.  The only thing that either of them had understood was that there was a bond between them that they both felt.  Agraelith stretched himself out on the grass, "Well, at least we have time to relax," he said with a grin.  Carya lay down beside him.  Star scrambled onto her stomach and curled up into a purring ball of fur.  Far away Medivh smiled inwardly as he flew, for once things were going the way they should…if only it could last.  

~This is the quickest I've ever updated. I hope you liked this chapter!~


	8. An Unexpected Meeting

Yep, I decided to completely rewrite this chapter.  Due to a lack of reviews I went back and read it over and came to the conclusion that it sucked…so I completely changed it and now it sounds much much much better.  If you read the one that I had before I changed the scene with the guard…and everything that followed.  I hope you like it!!         

The stone walls surrounding the city of Thal-Morian were a welcoming break in the monotony of the flat plains.  While freedom of the open country had been an enjoyable experience, what Carya really wanted right now was a place to call home.  Even if it was only temporary. 

It had taken longer than they had expected to finally reach the city.  Though Agraeltih had insisted that he knew exactly where he was going, he had still somehow managed to completely bypass it.  They had wandered for a few days, Agraeltih leading her, until they had come upon a merchant road.  Any civilization at that point would have been reassuring, and they had followed the trail until they had reached their original destination.  "See," Agraelith said with a grin, "I told you that I'd find it."  Carya shook her head but could not suppress a grin of her own.

The sun was shining brightly and reflected rather menacingly off of the armor of the guards surrounding the open gate.  As they approached it Agraelith reached up to where Star lay wrapped around his neck and gently set her on the ground.  He stepped nonchalantly in front of Carya.  "Stay behind me, don't speak unless you absolutely have to, and don't take the hood of your cloak off unless you absolutely have to."  Having been to Thal-Morian before, he recognized a few of the guards.  He knew them to be fair men, but the sudden appearance of a night elf was not something easily overlooked. 

Carya did what Agraelith had told her.  She pulled the hood of her cloak over her face to hide it, and wrapped it more tightly around her.  Past Agraelith's back, she could see the guards who were heavily armed.  Without thinking she reached out and grabbed Agraelith's arm.  Her sudden gesture surprised both herself and Agraelith, she also felt slightly ashamed.  If her elders knew that she had come to rely on Agraelith, they would be angry.  "Sorry," she murmured and released her grip.

"It's alright.  Just stay behind me and everything will be fine."

Stay behind him?  Those words hurt her.  She was a warrior from a race who prided themselves on their independence.  She knew that Agraelith was acting for her benefit but she almost wished that he would not.

Agraelith could tell from her expression it had been the wrong thing to say.  He could not tell her the truth; he had sworn to her mother that he would not.  "Listen…it's not that I don't think you can take care of yourself.  It's just that right now people are a bit suspicious.  The guards know me and I can explain things to them."  Though if he had any luck at all there would not need to be any explaining.  Hopefully the guards would let them pass without getting a good look at Carya, if not…

They approached the guards and the Captain stepped forward.  "State your name, business, and where you come from."  He was a stern looking man, who regarded them rather sharply.

"My name is Agraelith; my city was destroyed by the undead," he said bitterly, a flash of anger passed over his face.

The guard eyed him for a moment then he smiled.  "Aye, I remember you now.  Came here not long ago," his smile faded.  "Word reached us of your city's misfortune…we had no troops to spare, believe me."

Carya understood.  That was why Agraelith had come here.  He had been sent for reinforcements but none had been given.  She studied the guard, why could they not spare a handful of troops when their own city was obviously well guarded.  She noticed Agraelith twitch slightly and knew that he had been thinking the same thing.

            "I truly am sorry about your city.  I have some good news however, we have had other survivors come here seeking shelter."

            Agraelith looked surprised, "Other survivors?" his voice was hopeful.

            "Yes, not many, but a few.  Had two or three soldiers and a handful of commoners."

            "Do you know if…" he trailed off as the man shook his head.

            "Can't tell you any names.  Go on in and see if you can find them.  They should be at the inn."

            "Thank you!" He made to go through the gate but the Captain noticed Carya.

            "Wait a moment.  Who's that?"

            Agraelith froze, "I am escorting her to safety, she too was without a home."

            The guard studied him as if trying to find the truth, "I'll need to see your face," he said turning to Carya.

            She hesitated and looked up at Agraelith, who nodded.  Her slender hand reached up and slowly pushed back her hood.

            All of the guards stared as her shadowy hair tumbled down over her shoulders.  Eyes the color of the night sky right after the sun had set, regarded them with slight amusement.  They were all gaping at her.

            "B-b-but…they…is that what I think it is?  How?!"

            Agraelith spoke, "Her name is Carya and she is of the night elf kind.  She found me wounded on a river bank and saved me…at her own expense."

            Carya disregarded what Agraelith had said about speaking only when spoken to, "I was exiled from my lands for helping him," her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

            The Captain stared at her a moment longer, then blinked.  "Well…I suppose that if you're with Agraelith then it's alright to let you pass…" he was looking at her with a look of both awe and suspicion.

            "Thank you," Agraelith said.  They walked through the gates, Carya scooping up Star.  The guards parted to let them through, all eyes on Carya.

            Carya stopped short and stared.  Having never set foot in a human city before, she had not known what to expect.  What she saw before her was not something she could have imagined even if she tried.  Great building made of stone and timber rose up, high above their heads.  The path they were on was paved with smooth stones and all around them people were bustling.   Carya held Star closer to her.  It was all so different from what she had known.  She had been warned against humans all of her life and now she was surrounded by them.  A sudden thought occurred to her.  She could never go back.  Of course she had been exiled so it was not as if she could go back, but being there in a human city seemed to confirm it.  She was snapped out of her reverie when she realized that Agraelith had moved on.  She hurried after him, the last thing she wanted to do was be left alone surrounded by unfamiliar faces. 

            "Let's find a place to stay and then I can show you around," Agraelith said.  He saw the astonished look she wore and grinned, "Quite different from what you're used to."

            She nodded.  Someone ran straight into her, anyone else would have been knocked over but Carya was a night elf.  She retained her balance and moved closer to Agraelith.  He took her hand.  As her guardian he knew that physical contact was something that was frowned upon, but this was different.  He could not imagine how it must feel to be thrown into a completely different world.

            Scared.  That was how she felt right now, she had never been afraid before.  Even in her first battle she had not been afraid.  It was all so different, so big and artificial.  There was only a small scattering of trees and they were small and spindly.  Agraelith helped a little.  He was tall and powerful, his hand holding hers was a small comfort to her.  She had to admit that she did need him, as he had needed her with the night elves.  This was his realm and she knew that he would take care of her.

            Agraelith stopped in front of a large building.  "I'm guessing this is the inn," he muttered.  He turned to Cary, "Wait here, I'll get us a room."  He did not want to tell her why he wanted her to wait outside.

            She watched him as he disappeared inside the building and wished that he had not left her.  People glanced at her as they passed and most wore the same shocked expression. 

            "What's this?  Has my long lost kin left her haven?"

            Carya whirled to face the speaker.  Her eyes widened in surprise.  A descendent of the high-borne stood watching her.  He was tall and slender, long blonde hair was pulled back out of his haughty face.  She had known that humans and elves had reached some sort of alliance, but she had not expected to see one.

            "I'm surprised, so you've finally decided to come out of hiding?"

            Carya stiffened, "we were not hiding," she hissed.

            "Oh…alright, if you insist.  Though why anyone would want to live in darkness all their life is beyond me."

            "It was you who drove us there."

            "See, I knew you were hiding.  Scared of us were you?"  He was sneering now.

            "Night elves fear nothing."  He was trying to anger her and she knew it, unfortunately it was working.

            Agraelith stepped out of the inn, "Carya, I…" he looked from her to the elf.  He had forgotten to warn her about that and he regretted his decision to leave her alone immediately. 

            The elf grinned, "I see…become a human's little pet."

            Carya glared and Agraelith stepped forward, a hand resting on the hilt of his sword.  "I suggest," he said quietly, "that you leave her before I am forced to do something that you would rather not have happen."

            The elf looked him over and decided against it, "Alright, I'll just be on my way.  Nice to meet you night elf," he said with a smirk.

             "Remind me to never leave you alone ever again," Agraelith said, trying to lighten the situation.

            "You could have warned me," she looked up at him with an accusing expression.

            "I know…I forgot, and I'm sorry," his voice was almost pleading. 

            She shrugged.  She was not really angry at him, though a warning would have been nice.  Then she might have been more prepared for an encounter with the free elves.

            "Come on, I got us a room," he said after a moment.  She followed him inside and was met by cool air.  It was a much welcomed change. 

Please read and review!!!  You can tell me if you don't like my story but I got a rather…interesting review…and would appreciate it that if you think my story sucks then just say that and please at least tell me why.  Thank you!


	9. Truth or Lie

I finally updated gasp Sorry that it took so long. First I went to a summer camp, then school started and I wasn't prepared for the amount of work that I'd have to do. Hopefully I'll be able to update more often. I've added a response to reviews at the bottom!!

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Two beds, a fireplace, and a small table accompanied by a rickety chair were all the room consisted of. Carya walked over to the bed and sat down slowly; as if unsure it was stable enough to support her. When she was positive that it was not going to collapse under her, she looked up at Agraelith.

"We got lucky, one of the last rooms left," he said with a small smile. It was not hard to tell that he was trying to avoid something. Carya continued to look at him with her large eyes and he sighed and sat down next to her. "I should have warned you that you might encounter a high-born, especially after the brief history lessons you've given me. For some reason it just didn't even cross my mind." He rubbed the blonde stubble on his chin, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I am not a child, nor am I your pet that you must watch after," she snapped. It was the first time that she had ever been remotely angry at him and it took both of them aback.

"I didn't mean it like that," he began.

"Please, do not apologize. I know that you do not think of me that way."

"Just the same…I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way." He stood up, "Listen, I know that we just got here but I'm going to go down and see if I can find anyone I know. The owner said that he'd have some hot baths brought up, you can take yours first and then come down and get me when your done."

Carya looked at him uncertainly, he seemed rather anxious to get out of the room. "All right."

"Don't worry, things will be great here, you'll see," he sounded like he was trying to convince himself as well as her.

He closed the door behind him and leaned up against it. This was turning out to even more difficult then he thought. The more time he spent with her, the more he looked at her, the more he was attracted to her. Being in the same room with her made him feel uncomfortable, she was just so, so…he could not begin to explain it.

The first floor of the inn consisted of a dimly lit pub filled with people of all kinds. Some were soldiers, some were peasants, and some had the shifty look of thieves. Agraelith made his way through the room, looking for a familiar face. His eyes widened in surprise as he spotted a ragged looking soldier with a nasty looking burn on one side of his face.

"Kaiden?" he wanted to be sure it was really him and not just the darkness of the room playing tricks with his eyes.

"Agraelith? My word man, we all thought you dead!" Kaiden's voice came out slightly raspy, different from the booming pleasant voice that Agraelith was used to. "Well, sit down. Tell me what became of you."

The story came out, everything from the time he fell into the river to when he met Carya, he left out the fact that she had taken him to her village. "She decided to come with me. Wanted to venture out and see what the rest of the world holds." He grinned suddenly, "I'm glad to have found you; I thought I was the only one left."

"One of the few lad, one of the few. We fought hard we did, but there were too many. The whole town was burned to the ground, nothing left at all. Women, children, everyone slaughtered except for the few that managed to escape across the river. Most of them came here." Kaiden had a fixed frown on his face and a harsh glint in his eyes, "The time will come when we fight again, and this time we won't be the one's who lose," he growled.

Agraelith nodded and they were silent for a moment. "Did Hylaen make it?" he asked suddenly. Kaiden shook his head, "No, he fell soon after they penetrated the front gates."

"What of Calythene?"

"I'm sorry Agraelith," Kaiden shook his head sadly; "She didn't make it out."

Agraelith swore softly, "How could they?" he hissed, "She was a child!"

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything about it."

"I could have found her, I could have protected her!" he was crying silently now, Kaiden was as well.

"I saw my wife killed Agraelith, I couldn't reach her, couldn't get to her in time, couldn't protect her…" Kaiden wiped his face.

They talked a while longer, choking back their sobs until it became too painful to remember. Kaiden finally went to the bar and came back with two glasses overflowing with sweet ale.

"Time to drown in sorrow," he said grimly, handing Agraelith a glass. They both drank deeply, each mulling over their private losses.

"Agraelith?" A tall, lean man with dark hair pulled back in a pony tail was pushing his way towards them. "It really is you, didn't think that I'd ever see you again."

"Illyath? Wha-what are you doing here?" Agraelith set down the glass he was holding, a grin was beginning to spread across his face.

"Well, I do happen to live here. Good to see you again," his expression became serious, "I heard about the attack, I'm sorry, I truly am."

Kaiden looked from Agraelith to Illyath and stood up, "I'm goin' to go talk to some of the others…let them know you're alive."

"I'll be sure to find you later," Agraelith said.

"No need to leave," Illyath put in quickly but Kaiden shook his head. With a shrug, Illyath sat down in the recently vacated seat. He leaned back and studied Agraelith.

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Sensitive ears picked up the sounds of footsteps before the knock came. Carya automatically found herself reaching for a dagger but she let her hand relax. She opened the door only a crack and the pleasant face of a young maid greeted her.

"Hello miss," she paused a moment as Carya opened the door all the way; "You must be the night elf people are talking about." She seemed to realize exactly what she had just said and blushed, "Pardon me miss. If you'll follow me I'll take you to the baths now." She began to walk down the hall and Carya followed her.

"In here miss," the maid allowed her to enter the room then closed the door. Four copper tubs sat on a tiled floor, one of them filled with hot steaming water. Carya noticed the maid still standing there and she waited, when she did not make a move to leave Carya hurriedly slipped off her clothes and slid into the tub.

She could feel tightness in her muscles begin to relax and sighed contentedly. The maid handed her a cheaply made bar of soap and she scrubbed herself until her skin began to feel raw. It was the first time that she had felt properly clean since the night she had come upon the human and it felt wonderful to be free of the grime. The water was beginning to cool and the maid brought another bucket of hot water.

"Pardon me for asking miss, but who was that man you came with?" the maid's light blue eyes were friendly and Carya decided it was safe to give her at least that much information.

"His name is Agraelith, he is a knight."

"I thought as much, he's right handsome he is," she said with a pleasant smile and a wink.

Carya thought quickly, "He is my guard." Though she did not know anything about the ways of people, she had a feeling that this woman, innocent as she may be, would repeat anything that she thought was slightly interesting. Saying that Agraelith was her guard would instantly stamp out whatever idea this woman was starting to get. At least she hoped it would.

"Oh…I should've seen that in the first place." She picked up a towel and tossed it to Carya.

Slightly reluctant to be done with her bath, Carya dried off and wrapped the towel tightly around her. She picked up her clothes and was preparing to put them on when the maid suddenly started making clucking noises. Carya was concerned for a moment but then the maid said, "I'll get you something of mine to wear, you can't run around wearing those…erm…it just isn't proper you see. I'll be right back."

There seemed to be nothing wrong with her old clothes but the maid insisted. "You're a bit taller than me and slimmer, but they should do for now." The maid handed her a plain dress which Carya thanked her as she put them on. The cloth felt much different from what she was used to, it was coarser fur but not uncomfortable.

"I can get rid of those for you if you'd like," the maid pointed to her old clothes.

"No thank you, I would rather keep them." Getting rid of her clothes would be removing herself one step further from her home.

"All right, suit yourself. I'll take you back to your room now."

Once back in her room, Carya lay down on the bed. Star crawled up next to her and laid her silky head on her arm. Her eyes began to sting and she let the tears flow freely now that Agraelith was not near. "Warriors are supposed to be strong, tears are a sign of weakness," at least that was what her elders would say. The fact that she would never again see neither her home nor her friends had finally come crashing into her. She had known it of course, but being in the open country had been an adventure. Now she was stuck in a small dingy room far away from anything that she had ever known.

As the tears subsided she realized that it was time to find Agraelith. Standing up she glanced out the window and found that it was dark. She threw on her cloak and allowed herself to melt into the shadows. She wanted to see what things were like first before she exposed herself to them.

The rowdiness of the pub surprised her and she stood for a moment on the bottom of the steps. She was forced to go into the room when a group of people made their way towards the steps. It was hard to weave through everyone without touching someone and revealing her presence.

She spotted Agraelith at a table and made her way over to him. A man was sitting across from him and they seemed to be in deep conversation. Knowing that it was improper to listen to what they were saying, especially without Agraelith's knowledge, she was about to turn around when she heard exactly what it was they were talking about.

"I saw you come in with a night elf. Don't try to deny it, I know what she is."

"What of it?" Agraelith had a defensive look on his face.

"What exactly do you think you're playing at? I know you Agraelith, I know that you don't do anything unless you're either getting paid for it or you have a reason of your own."

"She saved me, now I'm helping her," he leaned his elbows onto the table and the Illyath did the same.

"Don't give me some cock and bull story about your doing it out of the goodness of your heart," he hissed. "Men you never change. How long have I known you? Since we were children, and you've never once acted for the good of others."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, you know exactly what I'm talking about. We're exactly the same you and I and neither of us will ever change."

"You're wrong, I have changed," Agraelith pushed his chair back and Carya jumped out of the way.

"What's the real reason you're still with her? You could have left her as soon as you were healed."

"I told you, she saved my life now I'm going to help her."

Illyath was observing him with a skeptical look on his cat like face. "Whatever you say Agraelith, the truth will come out soon enough."

Carya decided that she had heard more than she had wanted to and quickly made her way back to the room. She stood by the fire and thought about what she had just heard. Agraelith was a good man, she knew it. Or did she just think she knew it?

The door opened and she jumped back and stared at Agraelith like a child caught doing something wrong.

"Sorry I took so long," Agraelith said.

"It is alright," she replied quickly.

"You could've come down and found me…or did you want to keep the luxury of a bath to yourself?" he asked with a smile.

"I…" no, she could not tell him that she had been down there, that she had heard.

"I was only joking, though I really could use one," he turned to leave again, "I'll be back as soon as I'm done." He walked out of the room once more and she sighed in relief.

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The water was hot and relaxing and he allowed himself to sink down into it. The conversation with Illyath replayed in his mind. He had known Illyath since he had been a young boy; in fact they had been so close that many thought they were brothers. It had been Illyath, who had inspired him to join the King's guard, or at least train to, and it had been Illyath who had deserted first causing Agraelith to follow soon after. They had probably been called either rogue or ruffian by everyone in the kingdom. He was forced to grin at the memories of the different scrapes they had found themselves in…most of them Illyath had led them into and Agraelith had gotten them out of.

Agraelith had changed, Illyath was wrong. After they had left the kingdom, each had gone their own way, Illyath to Thal-Morian to become a merchant, and Agraelith to the small town of Galeynth. Having been trained to become part of the king's guard he had no problems in training to become a knight. He had not changed much since he had parted ways with Illyath and had nearly become a mercenary, had it not been for Calythene.

He knew he had changed, but apparently Illyath did not see it, not yet anyways. He was helping Carya because he wanted to, or was it really because she was the daughter of a Priestess and he had sworn to protect her? If he had not promised her mother, would he still be with her now? He assured himself that he would have but doubt began to creep in.

The man on duty handed him a towel and he dressed quickly. He went back to the room and hesitated a moment before going in. He found Carya half asleep on one bed with Star curled up on the pillow next to her. Her dark skin contrasted sharply with the white sheets. He sat down on the other bed and watched her for a moment. He knew then that he would have helped her no matter what the case.

When she sat up slightly groggy he apologized, "Sorry for waking you up."

"I was not asleep yet."

"Tired?" he asked.

"Tired and clean," she said smiling.

He grinned, "Being clean for once is nice, isn't it?"

She nodded, "You look much better clean." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she blushed and bit her lip.

"Well, you look good either way."

Carya shifted uncomfortably, if her elders had heard… "Please, don't," she said.

"You're right, I shouldn't have said that." They both became aware that they were sharing a rather small space together. "We should get some sleep; I'll show you around tomorrow, maybe buy some new clothes."

She nodded, "Goodnight."

" 'Night," he pulled the covers around him and soon both were asleep.

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**Yeth****- **aww…your review made me happy, I was kind of starting to doubt whether or not my story was any good…I'm glad that you like it

**Blackvial2000- **yeah the first one was pretty bad, I'm glad that you thought that the rewritten one was better, thanks for reviewing!!

Please please please review!!!


	10. The World of Men

Hello whoever chose to read my story…after reading all of your comments I decided that I'll go ahead and finish my story and then when I'm done go back and fix whatever needs to be changed. Thank you all for being patient with me.

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Tiny needlelike pain was shooting through his arm and he moved it instinctively. The pain grew sharper; when it persisted he managed to open his eyes. A small furry animal seemed to have attached itself to his arm. It mewed softly and he groaned.

"What is it Star…and must you keep sinking your claws into me?"

Hearing his voice the panther cub immediately withdrew its tiny claws and proceeded to pounce on his head.

"ARG!" Agraelith shot up, "Get off of me you flea-bitten-" He pulled the offending kitten off of his face and sat up. He noticed Carya looking at him with an amused look and grinned.

Carya closed her eyes hoping he was not about to do what she thought he was, she opened her eyes. "Agraelith, NO!"

He gently tossed Star who flew threw the air, claws outstretched. Carya flinched as she felt the cat land directly on her leg. She stood up, "How dare you," her eyes were flashing dangerously but a smile pulled at her lips. "Never attack a night elf," she said with a playful snarl.

"You would do well not to attack a fully trained warrior!" Agraelith was on his feet now, a fierce scowl was on his face but his eyes twinkled.

Without warning Carya gracefully leapt at him, the force of her caused them both to tumble backwards onto his bed. He lay staring up at her through the veil of dark hair hiding her face, both surprised.

They lay there for a moment and then Carya scrambled off of him, "I am sorry. I did not mean to…" she trailed off seeing the odd look on his face. "What is it?"

In that short moment stark realization had hit him. No matter how much he had wished it would not happen, no matter how much he had tried to deny it, he could no longer tell himself that he did not love her. How could this have happened? He had known from the moment he met her that there was a connection between them…but it had not been love, at least not then. He had known that it would happen but he thought that perhaps he could prevent it, maybe by distancing himself from her as much as possible. It had been rather hard to try to distance himself from her when they were traveling together, and so it had come to this. He had fallen in love with someone he could never have, she could never love him, she had told him that herself. A night elf could not love.

"Agraelith? What is it?" she persisted, puzzled by his silence.

He managed a smile, "It is nothing…nothing at all." He would make his love for her into nothing, and then it would be nothing.

He found himself staring at her, there was something different. "Umm, Carya?"

"Yes?"

"You're dressed differently…where did you get those clothes?"

She smiled, "Did you not notice it last night?"

He shook his head, had he not been so tired he probably would have but somehow he had missed it. "No, I didn't. You look great, although I didn't mind your old clothes," he said with a grin.

Carya stared at him, "What was it you said?"

He could not believe he had just said that to her. Had it been any other woman he knew it would have been fine but not Carya. "I…I really don't know why I said that…I apologize."

"Agraelith?"

"Hmm?"

"I think we have had enough apologies in one morning."

"You know, I think you're right. It's only been about ten minutes and we've both already apologized to each other for things that really did not need to be apologized for. Although in my case I guess I did need to apologize."

His odd behavior was really beginning to worry her. "Yes well…perhaps we should get ready and then you can show me the city?"

He sighed thankfully, "That sounds good to me."

The first floor of the inn was nearly empty when Agraelith and Carya emerged from their room. The innkeeper, a round and pleasant looking man with a neatly trimmed beard, was bustling around wiping tables. He spotted them and smiled warmly though he looked at Carya suspiciously.

"Nice to see you again Agraelith," his voice was deep and filled with kindness.

"You too Erethan."

"Sorry I didn't have a chance to speak with you much yesterday; we're so full at the moment. What, with refugees pouring in from all over."

Agraelith nodded with a strained smile. Erethan seemed to realize the effect of what he had said. "I'm truly sorry about what happened, Agraelith. I'm glad that I am able to offer a place to stay…" he trailed off. Clearing his throat he said, "I suppose that you both would like a bit to eat before you go out."

Agraelith glanced down at Carya and nodded, "That would be nice, haven't had a proper breakfast in weeks."

"All right then, I'll be right back. You missed the main breakfast so I'll have to get the cook to make you something." He bustled off to the kitchen and Agraelith and Carya sat down at a recently cleaned table.

"He's a great man, Erethan. Told him what happened and he refused to let me pay him the full price."

"That was nice of him," she commented absentmindedly. After resigning herself to the fact that this was her temporary home she was rather excited to see the entire city.

"Do night elves…do you travel from umm…"

She laughed as he stammered, "Do we have cities and towns as you do? Do we travel to different ones as you do?" she prompted.

"Yes, that's what I meant."

"I suppose you could say we have different cities, at least that is what humans would think of them. We do not travel though; we stay with our own people."

"I see…but you do leave occasionally, you were out that night that you found me."

"To hunt and scout, but never for fun." That was not entirely true. When she was younger she would often sneak out along with Galder to go swimming in the river. Actually, she had been the one doing the swimming while Galder watched her patiently from the river bank.

Erethan returned bearing two plates of food and set them down before the two. Each plate consisted of warm bread smeared with butter, eggs, and a thin slice of some kind of meat. He also handed them pewter mugs filled with white frothy milk. Carya felt her mouth begin to water and she thanked the innkeeper. He gave her a friendly smile and nod before going back to wiping tables.

There was little conversation as they ate; both were too enwrapped with their food to speak. It was the most delicious meal that either had had in a very long while, and the night before they had missed out on dinner. Carya had to restrain herself from gulping it all down at once.

Once finished with their breakfast they thanked the innkeeper once more and headed out into the street. It was full of people and vibrant colors. "Come on," Agraelith pushed on ahead, "It would be best if we buy necessities first."

"What?" she asked slightly confused.

"Clothes for one thing," he said glancing back. "Anything else you can think of?"

"No, I would like to have a look at a weapons shop though."

"Sounds good to me," he said with a grin.

While Agraelith seemed not to be concerned by their surroundings, Carya was completely enthralled by the sheer size of everything. She stared at the huge stone structures that rose on each side of the cobbled streets. Wagons drawn by horses carried various goods and armored knights rode through the throngs of people. The noise was almost unbearable to her, everyone shouting to be heard over the clicking of hooves and each other.

"Here we are," Agraelith stopped suddenly and pulled Carya into a shop. It had a polished wooden plaque over the door with, "The Tailor's House," engraved in swirling silver letters.

Inside was filled with every kind of fabric imaginable from rich silks and velvets to the cheaper materials. There were a handful of people fingering various fabrics and none looked up at them when they entered. A tall blonde headed woman strode forward with a pleasant smile, "Well 'ello there," she looked Agraelith and Carya up and down. "I'm guessing both of you are here for some new clothes?" Agraelith nodded and the woman went on, "Very well then, how much money are you looking to spend?" she asked.

Carya pulled out her pouch filled with gold pieces, having no idea of what the costs were she handed it over to Agraelith. He felt the weight of it and then dumped a handful out into the woman's palm. She looked down at it slightly surprised then back up at them and smiled, "Well then, you have your choices from that section over there," she pointed to richly made cloths. There'll be the extra cost for me to actually make the clothes. You can go have a look now and pick out what you want."

Pale blues and yellows to black surrounded them in rolls. Carya ran her hand over a dark green material that reminded her of the forest. "Do you like that?" the woman asked. "Yes, it is beautiful."

"Alright then, I think it would go good with this too, wouldn't you say?" she pointed to a roll of pale silk lavender. Carya nodded. "Come with me then and I'll get your measurements."

She followed the woman and Agraelith gave her an encouraging look. After measuring her, the woman pulled out a pile of parchments and flipped through them. "How does this one look to you?"

It was a sketch of a flowing robe like dress with drape sleeves and a sash around the waste. "It is very lovely, I like it," Carya said with a smile.

"That's great then, I'll also make you a simpler dress and a night dress." The blonde headed woman stated.

After Agraelith had chosen what he wanted they left the shop and walked down the street looking for a weapon's shop. Carya noticed after a while that there were a few people giving her odd glances and steering the children away from her. It did not completely surprise her and while it was not the most pleasant expereicence, she was not offended by it.

"Hmm…what do you think of that place?" Agraelith pointed to a shop that read, The Dragoon's Lair. On the door there was a battle axe crossed with a sword and shield. He went in and she once again followed behind him.

"What do you want?" a rough looking man stepped forward.

"Just having a look around," Agraelith responded.

The man gave them a harsh glance, "Alright then, make it fast though."

Carya ran her fingers carefully over a finely crafted scabbard. Carefully she unsheathed the blade and held it up. It was a beautifully crafted weapon and she gazed at it longingly. If only she was able to make something as fine as this. She had tried to when no one was around but having no one to teacher her, her attempts were failures.

"Like that one, eh?"

She jumped and whirled around, "It is a magnificent blade, did you create it?"

He nodded, "That I did, I made all of these," he said with a sweep of his hand.

"They are all wonderful," she said.

"You know…I heard that elves were masters at making swords and such…" he trailed off but she understood what he wanted.

Pulling out her dagger she handed it to him slightly reluctantly. He turned it over and over in his large hands. "This is a fine work of craftsmanship, this is," he handed the dagger back to her and she sheathed it immediately.

She felt Agraelith's hand on her shoulder, "Come on, it's time to be off," he said.

"I hope to see you later," the man said as the left.

"Anywhere else in particular you want to go?" Agraelith asked. Carya shook her head. The city was beginning to overwhelm her.

"Can we go back to the inn now?" she asked and he nodded sympathetically.

"Right, follow me."

He looked down at her and he struggled with himself for a moment. He could either take her hand or he could do what he had been all day and walk ahead of her forcing her to follow him. After battling himself inwardly he took her hand. She looked up at him shocked but said nothing. Together they headed back for the inn.

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Please review!!! And for those of you who were disappointed about my author note instead of a chapter I promise that I'll have a new chapter up soon!!!


	11. Will Bonds Hold

Updated as soon as I could…sorry it's not as long, but it's more exciting then the last one…ravens…prophecies beginning to make sense…orcs…etc. Please read and review! As long as you keep reviewing I'll keep updating!!

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A large raven was making lazy circles over a group of knights, sunlight glistening off the backs of its black wings. No one took notice to the bird. No one except the night elf. Her sharp eyes spotted it and her gaze lingered. Ravens rarely circled unless something had died, and then it was in groups. As if it had heard her thoughts it gracefully swooped down low and brushed a banner one of the knights held high. She fingered the pouch that she wore at her waist and pulled out a single black feather.

The blue banner waved in the wind and the large winged creature on it seemed to fly, its mouth opened in a mighty roar. "Agraelith," Carya looked up at her companion but he did not hear. "Agraelith!" she was forced to yell over the noisy street. He looked down at her and she pulled her hand away from his to point at the banner. "What is that?"

"The Crest of the king of Thal-Morian," his expression was puzzled. "Why?"

"No, the creature on it."

"A griffin, surely you knew that?"

She fell silent, fingering the feather between her fingers. The raven was no where to be seen but she could still feel it's piercing gaze. "Medivh…" she muttered, it had to have been the shape shifter. She tried to recall the prophecy that he had made, her gaze fell once more on the king's banner. Suddenly a piece of his riddle fell into place.

"Break the bond and the griffin shall fall…spread it to others and it shall rise above…" The words of the old prophet rang clear in her mind. The griffin…the king…Thal-Morian…attacks up and down the country…

"Let us hurry," she said and began to move quickly back towards the inn. Agraelith was thoroughly confused but quickened his pace.

Once inside she dragged him over to a vacant table away from where any ears could over hear. "The prophecy!" she exclaimed. "Do you remember the prophecy?"

"Of course I remember, that old fool," he grumbled.

"Fool you may think he is but he spoke the truth before and I believe he speaks it now!" Agraelith could behave quite childishly and it was beginning to irk her.

"Before? What do you mean by that? He's a traitor and an old-"

"He tried to warn the King and no one listened. What of the story of Arthas?"

He leaned back in his seat, "What exactly are trying to get at?"

"The griffin…the prophecy…" Why was it he did not understand?

Agraelith began to laugh. He could not believe that Carya thought the prophecy was real and that it had to do with Thal-Morian. "Carya, it's not real. The prophecy means nothing."

"This city will crumble and burn. Stones that were erected thousands of years ago will fall and the grounds will be nothing but ruins, a shadow of what once was, as will this world!"

In her mind she could see it. She could see the smoldering houses and buildings that now stood proud and strong. She could see the sky turn black and the air thick with the evil that was slowly creeping like a vine, ready to choke its victim, to take its place. She would do what she could to stop, she had too. To sit idly and watch it all happen was not even a possibility. She would stop it, any way she could, whether Agraelith helped her or not.

But she needed his help, she needed him. He was a part of the prophecy, a small piece of a larger puzzle. But even the smallest piece made a difference, without him, it could never be completed and they would be broken. Somehow he had to understand, but he refused to listen. Unless he listened soon then it would be too late. There was a bond between them and unless it held it would shatter completely.

It was impossible to understand what was going on, to understand why it was going on. All she new was that somehow they were connected with the fate of the city. The fate of the griffin. She did not believe in fixed patterns, she believed in the moon, the constantly changing moon. Whatever their decisions were could either save the city or let it fall to ruin. One more city destroyed one more victory for the constantly choking vine. They had to destroy it here, before it spread. But how to make him understand?

Outside a raven perched on the roof of the inn, it's black feathers immaculate, it's eyes searching, calculating. Something crucial was about to happen, it could sense it. The prophet felt it deep inside his bones and in his mind. What it was he did not know but he knew that the elf and the human were tied to it. He had failed before but he would not fail now. The elf he knew believed him but the human was stubborn as they normally were. If only he could get him to believe…but he knew that he could not, there was only one who could.

"MAKE WAY!" the shout could be heard from even the darkest corners of the city. It resonated with its importance and a deep grumbling laugh could be heard nearly as clear.

Shrieks of women filled the streets and threatening shouts could be heard from the men. The raven's head shot up and his cold eyes shifted. His wings began to beat and the feeling in him began to grow. This was something of importance.

Agraelith heard the shouts and sprang to his feet, something was happening. Whatever it was had to whole city turned out to watch. He could see Illyath running through the crowd until he came through the door, a large grin on his face.

"You'll never believe what they've got down there. This is going to be interesting," he had an odd grin on his face, "Thought you should come out and join us," he said with a wink.

Carya felt an immediate twinge in her stomach, something was going to happen. Agraelith glanced at her, "Let's go take a look." He saw the hesitation and added, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. Not while I still live." Neither of them saw the look in Illyath's eyes.

Back out side the street was even more packed than it had been that morning. Now it was thick with tension and pure hatred. They pushed their way through and Agraelith shouted a question to the onlookers, "What's going on? What's happened?"

"An filthy orc's been brought in…alive," a man spat.

Women cringed holding their children closer to them as a wagon passed with a cage on it. Thick iron bars separated them from the orc. It was a grotesque sight, greenish scaled skin and large protruding pointed teeth. It sat back and laughed at all the people, a calm look on its monstrous face.

"What a welcome, what a welcome," it grunted. Angry and profane yells were hurled at it and it simply laughed harder.

Carya stared at the creature with a mixture of hatred, pity, and horror. A large gaping wound leaked blood down its dirty body. She covered her nose, trying to block out the horrid stench. She felt sick yet she did not know why. She had fought in battles before and seen worse than this, yet this seemed for some reason…unjust? Yet this creature was loathsome…she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at Agraelith. His eye brows were drawn with worry.

Without thinking she turned into his warm chest and she felt his strong arms wrap around her. "It'll be all right," he murmered.

"No…there's something about it, something about all of this. It's wrong," she whispered, unsure if he heard her.

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you feel it?" The twinge in her stomach that she had felt earlier had turned into an knot. What was happening?

He sighed with resignation, "Yes…yes I feel it. There's something not right. Not right with any of it."

She lifted her head, "If you feel it too, then do you now believe?"

He had hoped to stay out of it all, to be done with it all, to let all of it fade behind him. No matter what he knew he could never escape it. He would go to the ends of the earth for her. He knew it was true, the prophecy, the griffin, all of it. And he knew that whatever this creature in front of them was, it was not evil and it was part of the puzzle.

"Yes, yes I believe."

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Pretty purple button says review!!! You can't resist the purple button, just give in, hehe.


	12. Disagreements

Wow…it's been forever since I last updated…I sowwy!! I've been trying to write three fan fics at once plus essays for AP Language. I'll try to start updating this at least every three weeks. I do plan on finishing this fic…but don't worry, there's a lot more to come before the end.

Disclaimer: Don't own War Craft...did make up most of the characters.

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"They should kill it and be done with it!"

Angry muttering could be heard from every corner of the town, though the crowd had long since dissipated.

"What good can come from it? It will bring the town nothing but evil."

Beady black eyes focused on three people. Rustling his wings, the raven listened intently to their speech.

"I have to speak with it."

"You can not be serious. If you speak with it now then all of the town will believe you to be associated with it."

"Something has to be done! We have been idle for long enough."

"Idle?! Explain what you mean by that."

"We have leisurely traveling, now that our path has been set before us we must do what we have to."

"I wouldn't exactly call it leisurely, and there is no path set before us."

"Do you not see?"

"I told you already, I believe!"

"Yet you do not see!"

"See what?! A blasted orc, what more is there?"

"Listen you two," Their dark haired companion slipped his lithe body in between their bickering. "Agraelith is right," he said calmly to the indignant elf. She was about to protest but he went on. "If you go now then there will be trouble. You could be thrown in the cage along with him for treason. If you go at night…"

"It's too risky either way," Agraelith muttered.

"But you know that the orc is not evil, he may be of use."

"I promised your mother I would protect you and I will not let any harm befall you because you are too stubborn to listen to reason." He snapped.

Carya made no sign to show her surprise but in a dangerously calm voice asked, "My mother?"

Clearing his throat, Agraelith looked down at her, mentally berating himself for his blunder. He could not tell her the truth about who her parents were, not after he had promised Lyra that he would not. This day had started out pleasant enough but it was quickly turning into a disaster.

"Alright, I will allow you to see the orc tonight, but I will accompany you." He hoped that it would get her mind off of what he had just said.

Her eyes narrowed slightly but she let it slide, "All right."

An uncomfortable silence settled thickly over them. Carya found herself musing about what Agraelith had said. She could tell that he regretted having mentioned it…why?

Her keen ears heard the shuffling of feathers and her eyes flew upward. There, sitting on the roof of a building was the raven. The blackness of his feathers contrasted sharply with his surroundings. His gaze was focused on her. It seemed almost as if he winked at her before spreading his wings and lazily gliding away.

She found herself wanting to fling a stone at it, like a disobedient child. She had not felt so entrapped before. It was as if she had been bound by lock and chain to her fate the moment she had stumbled across the human. When she was younger fate was a thing she did not believe existed. The idea of being set upon a path and being forced to tread it was something she resented. Yet it seemed that it was fate indeed that she was bound to. However, there was no regret. She had become quite fond of Agraelith over the time that they had spent together. Not only had their bond seemed to strengthen but it also appeared to be growing. At times it seemed as if it was dangerously stretching to the point of snapping like a worn thread, but she would not let it happen.

Illyath stood, uncomfortable. He had not been prepared for their seemingly acerbic bickering and he glanced nervously from one to the other. He hated being the one in the middle, it was never a position he was good at. Either he would find himself swayed to one side or he would blow up on both of them. Luckily when they were younger it had normally been Agraelith as the peace maker.

The silence continued until he could take it no longer. "Carya, how would you like to come horseback riding with me?" he asked. She looked at him puzzled for a moment but then she smiled ever so slightly. He did not expect her to agree but surprisingly she was quite willing to join him.

"I do not know how to ride a horse, but I would like to try."

Agraelith shook his head, "No, I think you need to rest." A throb of jealously made him want to keep away from her. He knew that Illyath had a reputation among the women.

"I think that I am old enough to make my own decisions…besides, you are the one who needs the nap," she said with a smile. He was scruffy looking at the moment, and the dark circles under his eyes did nothing to improve his look. "Elves do not need as much sleep as you humans do." He still looked reluctant. "Do not worry; I took care of myself before you came along. I do not need you to shadow my every footstep."

It was the truth and he could come up with no argument. "All right…but do be careful." He turned to his friend. "If anything happens to her, friend or no, I will hurt you."

Warm laughter escaped Illyath's lips. "Don't worry. I've been on the receiving end of your sword enough in practice to know not to cross you. Almost killed me one time."

"I did not. You simply didn't move quick enough," Agraelith said defensively.

"Sure, make your excuses. But it's the truth. I was in the ward of healing for nearly a week after that blow you gave me."

Agraelith rubbed his face, "Scared me nearly to death. You've no idea how horrible I felt."

Illyath gave his friend a one armed hug. Agraelith had hardly left his side the whole time he was injured. While they both had their rough edges and even doubts about one another, they were brothers at heart. "I forgive you, even though it did give me a nasty looking scar." His tone was jocular and it helped brighten the mood a little.

Carefully Carya took in the scene displayed before her, analyzing it. While she knew that they had their differences, Agraelith and Illyath would protect each other to the death. It further complicated the state of things. Without realizing it they had chained Illyath to their fate. They could not hide what was going on and would at one point have to reveal it to him.

The sun had reached its peak and it bathed them in all its warm glory. Everything seemed peaceful once more. "If we are going to go, I suggest we go now." Illyath said. "We want to be back in the city well before dark."

"All right," Carya began to follow him towards the stables but hesitated for a moment. She turned back to Agraelith. "Stay out of trouble," she said playfully and then swiftly hugged him. She sprinted after Illyath before what had just happened could completely sink in.

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Not the longest chapter in the world but they'll start getting longer and more exciting…probably beginning next chapter.

**RohanVos****- **nope, our little orc friend isn't a carrier of the scourge…you'll have to wait 'till the next chapter to see what roll he plays J

**Yay****- **I won't let the story die, I promise, and the chapters should get longer. Thanks for reviewing!!

**The Celestial Hunter-** Thanks for the review!! I'll try to update as soon as I can.

**NuclearMage- **You succumbed to the purple button, mwahahaha. Awww…I'm glad that you like my story, your review made me happy

**kilik06- **I hope that you liked this chapter J Sorry that it took me so long to update; it shouldn't take this long again!!

**Durga- **This is completely random but is Durga the name of one of the characters in Eragon? I'm probably completely wrong. Anyways, I'm glad that you enjoy reading my story. Thanks for reviewing!!

**Blah-** I finally updated, YAY! Sorry that it took me so long, shouldn't happen again. Thanks for reviewing!!


	13. Unmarred Skies

Erm…sorry once again about the super long wait.

A/N: Just wanted to clarify some things. There are quite a few details that I changed for the purposes of my story…for example night elves migrating to eastern kingdoms. Also the whole idea about painting themselves was something I made up as well as the night elves can't love thing. I read about the history of night elves, humans, etc. before I started writing my fic so I do know some stuff about the background. For my story to work, I did change things.

Those of you who are worried about the human/elf relationship...not to fear...I do realize that she is immortal and he is not...also I never said that this would have a happy/fluffy ending...but not to discourage anyone, it could be happy, who knows? Just keep in mind that there will be a war and everything may not turn out the way you expect...

Hope that cleared things up a little :-)

Disclaimer: nope don't own it

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Golden rays filtered softly through the cracks of the ageing wood. Hay was strewn across the worn floorboards giving off a sharp sweet scent. Horses nickered softly and the gentle scraping of hooves could be heard. A white head poked out of one of the stalls, black tipped ears alert. Liquid brown eyes watched the approaching human and elf carefully. 

The horse immediately caught her eye, Carya approached it slowly, palm extended. Melodically she whispered a string of elvish words and began to rub the horse's velvet black nose. Illyath stood back for a moment, simply watching. There seemed to be an unspoken bond between the elf and animals.

"What do you make of the horses?" he asked at last.

Carya turned with a smile, "They are truly beautiful creatures, and intelligent."

"Her name is Lofn," he motioned toward the white horse. "This," he motioned toward a broad backed war horse, "this is Vidar." He leaned against a stall door, "How did you know she was one of mine?"

"I did not, she knew that I was with you," Carya replied nonchalantly.

"Really? How do you know?"

Carya shook her head, "I do not know."

"Ah…interesting." Illyath straightened and began to saddle his horse, "I'll help you in a moment."

The elf spoke in elvish once more, at first Illyath thought that she was speaking to him, but realized that it was to the horse.

"She says that she will carry me just as well without one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Animals can not lie; it is not in their nature."

"Do you need help…" he trailed off when he saw she was already seated gracefully on the back of the white mare.

He heaved himself into the saddle of the massive war horse; its coat was so dark it could have been mistaken for black. Carya had a feeling that Illyath needed a dark horse; she decided to ask him more about what it was he did for a livelihood.

Illayth lead them out of the stables and down the back streets of the town. They rode in complete silence; the only sound was that of the horses' hooves hitting stone. Once out of the back gates it seemed that a ban had been lifted.

"Enjoying your self so far?" Illyath asked jovially.

"So far, yes. Illyath?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you ask me to come riding with you?" She had an inkling that it was not simply for pleasantries.

He was silent a moment and she could tell he was thinking. "I don't know, everything seemed a bit tense. Besides, Agraelith has had the opportunity to keep you all to himself," he winked at her. "If you do not mind my prying, what exactly is going on between the two of you?" He was looking straight ahead, as if he was avoiding looking at her.

"Friendship, that is all. He is nothing more to me than a friend." The more she thought about it though…the more she wondered whether or not this was true. She felt things for him, things that she had thought night elves could never feel.

"Ah, that's good then," he looked at her this time.

"What do you mean?"

"Agraelith's a good man and everything…but he…I don't know. I think you need someone more like myself is all," he gave her a playful wink and she knew at once that he was joking.

Somehow she found that she did not mind it. There was something about Illyath that put her immediately at ease. At first she had thought him nothing but a treacherous rogue, yet there appeared to more to him than she had originally thought. Still…she was not ready to completely trust him.

"How are you enjoying Thal-Morian?"

"It is all right, nothing like I had imagined. There are no trees…"

He leaned his head back and laughed, "No trees? Of course there are!"

"Not like where I am from…"

"I see," his eyes still twinkled merrily. Dark hair blew across his face and he brushed it out of the way, exposing his cheeks flushed from the wind. He was handsome in a different way from Agraelith. Where Agraelith was tall and well built with blonde hair and a gentle brushing of stubble across his chin, Illyath was lean and clean shaven with long dark hair. Judging by looks, one would have never guessed them to be so close.

She had to tell him, she knew she did. Now was the time…she knew that Agraelith would want her to consult him but… "Illyath, you have heard of the prophet Medivh…have you not?"

His eyes narrowed, "Old fool is more like it."

So that was where Agraelith had gotten that impression, "He is no fool. He spoke to Agraelith and I."

"Really? When?"

"Before we reached Thal-Morian."

"And?"

"He spoke none too clearly, but I believe that…he was talking about a battle, a war, involving Thal-Morian." Illyath was silent and stared at the reigns in his hands. Carya tried again, "Illyath…somehow Agraelith and I are tied to it, I wanted to warn you."

Illyath broke into a grin, "Finally, I never thought I would see the day that Agraelith was the one who brought the trouble with him."

Carya sighed; it did not appear that he was getting the seriousness of the situation. "There could be a war."

He laughed, "War, war is what I was trained for."

She shook her head, "People could die, the city could fall, and you laugh?"

"I do not fear war my dear…in fact…I rather look forward to it." He refused to meet her eyes and she knew then what he was doing. It was his way of coping with it, blow it off and hopefully it would go away. Except she knew that it was not going to go away.

"Illyath…we do not want to put you in danger—" He cut her off.

"Really, it's okay. If war does approach us, I assure you that I shall live through it," he sounded quite sure of himself.

"Have you ever…"

"Been in battle? Once, soon after Agraelith and I deserted the King's Guard…or more like I deserted and dragged him along with me." She waited for him to continue. "I had it in my head that I was going to become a mercenary…thought that it was suited exactly for me. First battle we were in…bloodiest thing ever…nothing could have prepared me for it. It was against other humans…not against orcs like I thought it was going to be. Oh I defended myself…and at one point…it was as if this blood rage came over me…that was what scared me the most…couldn't control myself…"

"Then?"

"I moved here to Thal-Morian and became a merchant, honest living," he was smirking.

"An honest living?"

"All right, I guess it is mainly an honest living…except when I erm…never mind."

There it was, she had known that he did something…smuggling perhaps. "If war approaches…would you fight?"

His eyes locked on hers, "I would fight…even if the odds were against us…I would fight."

"As would I," she replied.

Illyath shook his head, "For some reason I have the impression that if there was a war…Agraelith would try to keep you as far away from it as possible."

"Of course he would not…he knows that I am a warrior."

"All right…" he did not seem convinced.

They continued in uncomfortable silence. After a while the awkwardness died away and soon the silence became more bearable. There was a soothing feel to just riding side by side, the heavy pounding of hooves on dirt and grass. They sky was clear, unmarred by the worries of the world around them. In a way she secretly wished that they could take the horses and ride away. Just ride, anywhere, anywhere that would get them away from it all. If they really wanted to, she supposed that she and Agraelith could do it. They were not tied down anywhere. They could leave, and let whatever was about to befall the town, occur with out them. It had stood long before they had come, what difference could they make?

She knew that they could not, that no matter how much she wanted to, she could not abandon them to their fate. Not when she could do something to help them. It was odd to think that they could either save the town or let it fall. It all rested on their decisions. She wished it was not them. She wished that things to the way they were before she had rescued Agraelith. It made her wonder what things would be like if she had left him, if she had not been so curious that night. They would be the same as always, living in a dreamlike world. One where there was no fear or hate, one where she knew exactly what lay in store for her. There would be no tears of loneliness, no pangs of homesickness.

Yet…yet she would not know anything more than what was placed in front of her. There would not be the sun, and the clear blue sky, and the sprawling lush grass. There would be no understanding of humans, only the talk of them by her elders. There would be no…feelings…emotions such as the ones she had now. There would be no Agraelith. Suddenly she did not regret her decision. She knew that even if she could go back, knowing the things she knew now, she would save him. She cared for him more than she could ever admit. She loved him.

Yes she loved him; she knew it in her heart. Something she had thought would never be possible for her. "Illyath?"

"Hmm?"

"I…I…I think I have encountered a problem…"

"And what may that problem be?" he asked, curiously.

"When you love someone…how can you tell?"

He laughed, "I'm not sure I'm the best one to be asking…but…when you see them, say, standing across the room, you can feel your stomach turn over. You want to run to them or you simply want to stare at them all day. When you are near them, you want to stay there forever, by their side…why?"

"No reason…"

"Does it have to do with your problem?"

"It may…"

"Do you…" his face turned a violent shade of red, "You know Carya…you and I…I think that I may feel the same…"

She looked at him, completely shocked. This was not something she had been expecting at all. Although he had hinted at it, he had been joking at the time. "Illyath…I…" She did not want to hurt his feelings. Then again…how could he really love here when they had only met the day before…her mind went back to the conversation she had overheard. _I know that you don't do anything unless you're either getting paid for it or you have a reason of your own. We're exactly the same you and I and neither of us will ever change. _What exactly was he playing at…

"Illyath…I did not mean that I loved you. I do not know you," she said bluntly.

He looked down embarrassed, "What a fool am I. You're in love with my best friend…aren't you?"

"No…please, place it out of your mind," she still felt at ease with him, but her barriers had been raised. She could not trust him, but she had no need to fear him. Whatever it was that he was planning, he had no malicious intentions.

"Should we start heading back?"

Carya nodded, she had a sudden longing to see Agraelith again. They arrived back at the stables well before the sun was ready to set. Carya led Lofn back to her stall and brushed her down while Illyath did the same with Vidar. "Va en mylanan gwyn," she gave Lofn one last pat and followed Illyath out.

They talked amiably while they walked back to the inn and a few times Carya found herself laughing at Illyath's offhanded jokes. They entered the pub and she scanned the room for Agraelith but did not see him. Illyath, as if sensing her feelings, said, "I had a great time, but I must take my leave here. Tell Agraelith that I want to speak with him later. Farewell for now milady," with a mock bow, he wandered off to talk with someone standing by the bar.

Hesitantly she knocked on the door, she heard someone mutter a few curses and then a thud. Finally it swung open and Agraelith stood back to let her in. "That blasted cat of yours is out to get me," he muttered, wincing slightly. He straightened up the chair that he had stumbled into, while Star innocently wound herself around his legs. "Get off me," he said with a scowl, but picked her up anyways.

"She's only a baby, what did she do?"

"Tripped me, that's what," he growled and dumped Star onto a bed. "So, how was your little trip?"

"It was good, I like Illyath."

His eyes narrowed, "I beg your pardon?"

"He seems like a decent person. Not one who I would trust completely, but he does not seem all bad."

Agraelith seemed to relax slightly, "Yeah, a little rough at times and sneaky, but he'll stick by you in a scrape."

"Agraelith?"

"What?" he grumbled.

"Are you okay?" He was acting strangely.

"Of course, just a little tired," he flopped back onto the bed and she sat down next to him.

"Agraelith?"

"Yeah?" he propped himself up with his elbows.

"I think that they were wrong…"

He looked at her confused, "Who was wrong?"

"The elders…"

"About what?" he asked patiently.

She hesitated, then said, "About humans…" It was not what she had intended to say. She had wanted to tell him that they were wrong, about love.

"Is that so…decided that we aren't all bad?" he asked with a grin.

"No, although they may have been right about you," she said with a smile.

He grabbed her around the waste and pulled her back, "Oh really?"

She squirmed to get out of his grip and found herself laughing. Getting an arm free, she hit him playfully. He laughed, "Is that all you have, elf?"

Quickly she managed to turn in his arms so that she was facing him. Grabbing his hands she pinned them around his back. Her cheek was against his and she whispered in his ear, "You really think that you could beat me human?"

"Possibly," with that he managed to roll of the bed bringing her with him. They landed in a heap on the floor.

Carya managed to narrowly avoid being crushed and was soon on her feet; he stood up more slowly, rubbing his back. "Remind me never to do that again, that floor hurts."

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Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! I promise it won't take me so long to update again…okay…I know I said that last time but I will seriously try to get another chapter out sooner. Ooh...almost forgot...the horse names came from mythology and the name Lofn holds particular significance. A cookie to whoever knows what branch of mythology it came from.

What to look forward to next chapter: Agraelith getting mad and drinking a bit to much …Carya going to talk to the orc…and some other stuff…a bit more action than this chapter:-)


	14. Jealous?

Okay…so I wasn't able to update quickly, I sowwy! But thank you to everyone who reviewed! And I know you probably all want to hurt me for taking so long…but please refrain…I wuv you!

Disclaimer: Nope…don't own War Craft…or anything that has to do with War Craft…

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The pub had filled considerably since Carya and Illyath had gotten back from their outing. After Agraelith had come to the conclusion that he was not horribly injured, they decided to join Illyath downstairs. A large fire was going in the hearth, giving it a slightly more pleasant look than the day before. Smoke filled the room and everyone seemed preoccupied with something. No one seemed to notice the human and the elf enter.

They could make out the lithe figure of Illyath slouched over the bar, conversing with a rather unpleasant looking man. Carya hung back slightly but Agraelith slid in next to his friend. When Illyath turned to greet them, the man he was talking to stood and left without a word.

"Hello you two, finally remembered me?" He asked with a pleasant grin.

"Actually no, just happened to wander down here, figured you looked a bit lonely," Agraelith slapped him across the back. Carya did not think that she would ever understand why that seemed to be a common greeting between them.

"Need to talk to me about anything?"

"Yes but," he lowered his voice, "In private, without her," he gestured towards Carya.

Agraelith shrugged, "If you think it's necessary. Carya?"

"Yes?" She had heard him of course but she knew that he would ask her anyway.

"Do you mind if we talk alone for a bit?" He looked almost apologetic.

"No, it is all right."

"I'll find you later, okay?"

"I can watch out for myself," she turned and began walking away.

"Carya, I will see you later, correct?" Illyath asked with a wink.

She smiled, "If you wish."

Once she had been completely enveloped by the crowd, Illyath turned to Agraeltih with a serious look. "I spoke with her earlier."

"Yes, I know," Agraelith said indifferently.

"You like her, don't you." There was no hint of a question in his voice.

"As a friend, yes."

Illyath smiled, "right…then why are you staring at her?"

Quickly Agraelith focused on Illyath, trying to conceal the fact that indeed his eyes had been wandering over to the striking elf. "I was not."

"You sound like a little boy, anyhow…I knew that there was some reason or another you were still hanging around her. Now I know what it is."

Agraelith rested his head on the counter top, "Suppose I do like her…" he murmured, lifting his head again, "What of it?"

"First off, promise me you won't get offended."

"What?"

"Just promise," Illyath said exasperated.

"Fine, I promise not to get offended."

"All right then…I understand why you like her…I mean…she's great. Incredibly beautiful too…" then he added, "Not that I like her…in that way."

"What's your point then?" he snapped.

"My point is…she's a night elf."

"And?"

"And she's a night elf…she's not human…she's immortal…you aren't…"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Agraelith growled. "Are you saying that because she is not human, not 'our kind' then I can't have anything to do with her? Is that what you're getting at, because if it is then even if we are friends—"

"That's not what I'm saying at all, will you let me finish! Although if you think that I would care about something like that, then it's obvious you don't know me as well as I thought you did."

Immediately Agraelith felt slightly guilty. "Sorry, I know you don't think like that…"

"Yes…now, may I continue?"

"Get on with it."

"All right…I was going to say that…never mind," he said simply.

Agraelith stared at him, "I beg your pardon? Never mind?" His had to admit that his friend could be an odd one.

"Well, I suppose it isn't _that_ important. So what have you been up to today?"

"Illyath, what was it you were going to say, tell me now."

"I just said that it really isn't important."

"Then why were you all fired up to tell me a moment ago?" he asked, trying as hard as he could not to lose his temper.

"It truly does not matter," Illyath said with a small laugh.

"Just tell me!"

"All right, all right. I was just going to say that maybe you haven't exactly thought things out properly."

"Like what?"

"As I said, she's immortal, you aren't."

"Yes, now will you elaborate a bit? Because honestly, I don't get what you're trying to imply." Sometimes Illyath seemed to think that everyone knew exactly what he was speaking of without going into details.

Leaning forward slightly, Illyath sighed. "What's going to happen? There's a war going on, even if you survive it she'll live on forever, even after you've died."

"Do you think I haven't realized that? Do you think that she doesn't know it? My gods man, what do you want us to do? Pretend that we have no feelings for each other, pretend that we don't care?" Agraelith scowled as Illyath began to laugh once more. "What's so funny?"

"You seem to be doing a very good job at that, unless you looked closely you'd think that you two don't care for each other at all. Also, back to my point, you do realize that not everyone is going to…erm…welcome to the idea."

"They can get over it."

It seemed that there was no sense in continuing the conversation as it appeared that Agraelith was being extremely stubborn. "Want something to drink?" Illyath asked and Agraelith nodded, his mood suddenly lightened.

A wooden bench in front of the hearth was the only spot that Carya could find to seat her self. It creaked under her weight, much like all the other furniture in the building, but it was sturdy. The man who already occupied the bench brushed his hair back from his face, then self-consciously shook his head causing his hair to fall back into place. His clothes indicated that he was short of money, and the way he carried himself indicated that things had always been hard for him. Next to him slumped a girl who looked nearly identical to him, though her clothes were clearly more cared for, they were worn down and thin. They sat next to each other in silence, until finally the man nervously turned to her. He was about to speak when he seemed to think better of it, then he caught himself and spoke, "Erm…please don't think me rude milady, but are you a night elf?"

"I am." She was slightly taken back by the way he had addressed her. Her impression was that the term, milady, was reserved for those of a higher status.

He seemed at a loss for words and stared into the fire. The girl next to him nudged him sharply and he looked sheepishly at Carya. "My sister…she uh…she was just curious as to what you're doing her…you see…strangers are not exactly welcomed at a time like this…" he stammered.

"I came here because…" she did not want to tell the truth when she barely knew them…not when it contained so much. "I came as an ambassador," she said finally.

The girl seemed to perk up at that, "So you came to help us? The night elves…are they coming to help?" she asked eagerly. Carya suddenly wished that she had not lied, the girl seemed so…hopeful. The girl continued, "Are they going to help prepare?"

"Prepare for what?"

The young man and his sister exchanged a look, "War," he said finally.

"I had heard that there may be a battle…there are raids up and down the country…my friend…his town was burned to the ground," she said softly.

"But you came to help, right?" the girl pressed.

She did not have the heart to say anything otherwise. "Yes…they sent me…to help…" she managed to say.

"But you are a woman!" The man exclaimed surprised.

"So you've noticed that too, boy," a man had wandered over and slid down next to Carya. His robes were made of fine cloth and his hair and beard were both neatly trimmed. She immediately felt more of a liking for the two poorer people, they seemed more…real.

The man who had just seated himself grinned at her, "My name is Alren," he said.

"Carya," she bluntly introduced herself.

"Now then, what exactly is a beauty like you doing down here all by yourself?" he asked. She realized then that he was slightly intoxicated.

"I suggest, sir, that you go to your room…"

"Only if you come with me," he smirked and made a grab for her. She easily moved out of the way and stood up.

"If you will excuse me…" She glanced over to the bar trying to find Agraelith. She could not believe what she was witnessing.

Agraelith picked up yet another pint of ale and downed it was quickly as he possibly could, only encouraged by Illyath's hearty laughter.

"Didn't know you had it in you, never seen you really drink before," his friend found it mildly amusing. Normally he was the one getting drunk. "Think you've had enough yet? I bet you have, can't take it can you?"

"Guess again my friend."

And so it went.

Warmth was spreading through his body. He felt his mind clouding but he could not stop himself, not when it felt so good. Weariness seemed to slide off of him and all his worries from the past weeks slipped away. This was what he had wanted, but he had been afraid. He drank occasionally, but he was too careful and practical ever allow himself to become drunk. The last time he had, or rather the first time he had, the outcome had not been so pleasant. Illyath had been there to witness it and even he had been surprised at the sudden change that overcame his friend. At the moment however, they were both too intoxicated to remember the mishap.

"Y' know Illyath," he slurred, "I think I love her, I really do…"

"I still say it's a bad idea," Illyath countered.

"Don't say that…I mean…just look at her…" Both turned simultaneously, and Illyath was forced to grab Agraelith's arm before he did anything rash.

Carya was standing up one man had grabbed her by the arm and the other was in the process of pushing him away, while she was tugging out of his grasp. "Lemme go!" Agraelith pulled out of Illyath's grasp.

"Will you calm down, I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks," Illyath grabbed for his friend once more. Only to receive a fist in his stomach, he fell backwards but managed to recover quickly. "Get back here!" but Agraelith was already halfway across the room. He ran after his friend and managed to wrestle him to a stand still. "Calm down," he hissed in his ear.

Agraelith paid no heed and instead wrested himself away, starting once more towards Carya. Wisely, Illyath decided to let him go but stayed one step behind him. He thought that Carya was more than capable of handling the situation and he knew that Agraelith was well aware that she could hold her own. His stomach was aching and he grimaced slightly, his friend was stronger than he had thought. It was irritating to him that one who was supposed to always be there for him had decided to throw a punch at him…but he was not angry. At least not at the moment.

"What're you doing?" Agraelith growled and the two men and Carya turned around. She had a slightly guilty expression on her face though she had been doing nothing wrong. Unfortunately for the three, Agraelith was unable to think clearly. "Let her go!"

"What's it to you?" Alren snapped.

"I told you to let her alone," the younger man said.

Agraelith seemed not to hear them, "What were you thinking Carya?"

"What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked while wrenching her arm away from Alren's clasping fingers.

"I mean, coming over here with a bunch of men you don't know."

"I can handle things myself, I am no child," she said a little impatiently, the trials of the day had worn her patience rather thin.

"Told you," Illyath muttered under his breath.

Alren straightened himself up, "What? Mad because your little night elf decided to go traipsing around with other men?"

Cary started to speak but Agraelith's fist was faster. Before anyone knew what was happening, Alren lay on the floor clutching his jaw, "Gods man, what's the matter with you?" he managed to say, cringing slightly.

"Agraelith, I really think that you have had a bit too much to drink…perhaps we should go to the room…" Carya said softly.

"When I want your opinion I'll ask for it," Agraelith said testily.

"I beg your pardon?" She was tiring quickly of his antics.

"Honestly Agraelith, I think she's right," Illyath said, taking his friend by the shoulder but Agraelith shrugged him off. "I say that you overreacted just slightly…"

"I haven't overreacted."

"Whatever you say, come on now...Carya can handle things on her own."

"That's it…" Agraelith looked from one to the other. "That's it…I knew it…when you two decided to go out horseback riding I knew it…you bastard." He swung again at Illyath and hit him square in the face. Illyath had never considered that his friend would hit him, let alone twice, else he would have moved.

Carya stared at him for a moment then kneeled and pulled Illyath's hands away from his bloody face. "I think your nose may be broken," she said calmly. "I think I can fix it though, elves have their own methods to healing." At his puzzled looks she said, "Magic…" She then stood up once more and faced the fuming yet surprised Agraelith. "What was that?"

"What was what?" he answered angrily.

"You just hit your best friend in the face and possibly broke his nose."

"You and him…" he growled.

"You need to go somewhere and calm down," she stated. "Until then, do not bother trying to talk to me…"

The innkeeper, upon hearing all the noise had decided to investigate. He shook his head, "Agraelith…either go up to your room and sober up or get out," he said wearily. He knew Agraelith and it was hard for him to comprehend what had happened.

"Come on Carya, let's get back to the room," he said.

"No, you go to the room, I will do what I want too," her face was set.

"You bloody will not! Not if it means running around with them!" He gestured towards Illyath and Alren.

Her eyes hardened and Agraelith unwittingly took a step back. "If you think that I am that kind of person, then you do not know me at all. When you are ready to apologize to your friend an myself, then I will talk to you. I cannot believe you and your…your…jealously, nor the violence you resorted too."

Everyone in the room had turned to watch them. Illyath and Alren had picked themselves up off of the floor. Alren scowled and left the room angrily, Illyath stared at his friend obviously hurt. Without hesitating Carya turned and walked out into the clear night, Illyath following at her heels.

* * *

Er…hmm…not sure how well that actually turned out. Before you start questioning I assure you that Illyath is not going to end up with Carya and that things will all work out…well…kind of.

Please review, and once again I really appreciate everyone who reviewed...

Next Chapter: Talk with orc (I know that I had mentioned it would be in this chapter but I didn't quite get there), apologies, and well…you'll see.


	15. Talk with the Enemy

Back from my vacation to Europe, yay! Thank you so much for all your reviews, I really really appreciate them. I'm trying to work harder on my proof reading so hopefully I caught most of my grammar and spelling mistakes.

Disclaimer: don't own War Craft…did however make up my characters, yay!

* * *

The street that had been so packed earlier that day was now deserted. Carya and Illyath stood silently in the street, neither wanting to look at the other. She knew that she could hide in the darkness, let it slide over her and try to forget about what had happened. However, she knew that it would be taking the easy way out and besides…she had not been the only one hurt. Finally she allowed herself to look at Illyath's bloodstained face, his head was bowed slightly.

"It was my fault really," he muttered softly.

"What was?"

"All this I guess. I should have known what would happen…he swore he would never become drunk ever again…but…you know…we were having fun...and I encouraged it…when I should have let him stop."

"It was his choice, he could have stopped himself."

"I know that, but…I encouraged him when I knew it was wrong. He wanted to stop but we were too caught up in it."

"What happened…the last time?" It had been bothering her since he had first mentioned it.

Illyath shook his head at the memory. Once again it had been partially his fault although like Carya had said, Agraelith could have stopped if he had truly wanted too. "We were still in the King's Guard, had a night off. Of course the first thing everyone did was head to the nearest pub…"

That night was now a fuzzy memory but it was there none the less. Agraelith was new to all of it; he had drunk ale with his meals but never for fun. Now however, there were drinking games with a raucous atmosphere and women with low cut dresses hovering about. The rational side of him had told him not to take part in the 'madness' but then again, what was the harm of it? He was young, restless, tired of the seemingly endless training with no time for fun. Now was a chance to let it all out and well, let everything go.

"He umm…it was the first time he'd ever gotten drunk…and that day was probably the worst day for it to happen. He'd been in a fight with someone earlier, but Agraelith being Agraelith had let it slide off of him earlier. He hated fighting with friends, didn't see the point of it when there were orcs enough to fight."

The fight, if you could call it that had been over, of all things, Agraelith's sister Elayna. The man had claimed that he loved her and word had gotten to Agraelith that his intentions were less than honorable. He had of course confronted the man being as most brothers were, protective of his sister. Then he had laid it out for him and basically said that if he tried anything he would personally, and more than happily, throw him off the top of a tower. Of course the man had responded by first denying the rumors and then when he realized that Agraelith knew the truth he had began insulting him.

"Well, all of us were drinking and we were all pretty much drunk beyond the point of rational thinking. The man who had been insulting him earlier started up again, saying insults and all but this time he brought Agraelith's sister into it. Calling her a wench and that sort, normally Agraelith would have reasoned with him but not this time. Oh no, it happened so fast no one even saw it coming, he had the man pinned on top of the bar with his dagger against his throat. Had to pry him off and by that time he had nearly chocked the man. After that he swore not to drink again but I guess tonight neither of us really thought about it."

Carya let it sink in, "I do not understand…he never seemed like he would hurt anyone…"

"He won't…unless he has too much ale in him. I've never seen a man change so much as he does, but whatever it is…it happens."

One thing was still bothering her, "He never told me he had a sister. I suppose that I do not actually know as much as I thought I did."

"It isn't something that I would have expected him to tell you. She…well…she died, he took it quite hard."

"How?" she asked softly.

"In childbirth…the baby was given to a friend to rise, then when she was old enough Agraelith took care of her. He told me about it all yesterday…his niece…she was killed…when the town was attacked."

Suddenly Carya's anger at Agraelith receded slightly and she felt sorrow. She could not imagine how hard it must have been to lose not only his sister, but the only living reminder of her. "What was her name?"

"Calythene."

They may have stood there a brooding a little while longer but Carya remembered Illyath's nose. She led him over to a fountain that was spitting water into the air and they sat on the edge of it. They rhythmic sound of the water was soothing. As carefully as she could she cupped her hands around the broken nose, letting her fingers rest on it gently. Illyath tensed and she knew he was unsure of what was going on. "This will not hurt, do not worry it will be over quickly."

She closed her eyes allowing a clear picture of Illyath's face earlier that day to fill her mind. His nose had been straight and perfect, her focus remained on that and under her breath she began to whisper an ancient chant. Her fingers felt alive and she could not help but smile slightly, she had not used magic since the fire she had lit and it felt good. It was over in a moment, pulling her hands back revealed a shocked but happy Illyath. "Thank you," he murmured.

"You are welcome, here…" there was still blood on his face and she pulled a scrap of cloth out of her pouch and dipped it in the fountain. She lifted it to his face and he took it from her, his hand resting on hers for a moment.

"I can do it…wouldn't want Agraelith to see now would we?" Though it was nothing to joke about seeing as what had happened less than ten minutes ago, there was still a twinkle in his eye as he said it. Carya could not help but laugh.

"Ahem, erm…what was it you're planning to do exactly?"

"What?"

"It just seems like you had an idea of where to go when you stormed out…"

She did have a plan actually; one that she knew would make Agraelith mad. It was childish perhaps to want to do something simply because it would anger him, a way of getting him back so to speak. Although it was something that she needed to do, but she knew that he wanted her to wait for him. "I am going to talk to the orc…the one that was brought in earlier."

Illyath stared at her over the cloth, "You plan on what!"

"I need to speak with him."

"I do believe that Agraelith wanted to accompany you, in fact I believe that you agreed to him accompanying you…"

"And I do believe that at the moment Agraelith is in no condition to go for a little visit with me," she snapped slightly.

Illyath could tell that she was a bit testy at the moment and decided not to try her patience. "All right, but at least let me go with you then. Although I'm pretty sure that Agraelith will kill us both."

"At least I will not die alone," she said with a half smile.

"Very true...er…I suppose you don't want this back?" he said holding up the bloodied cloth.

"No, you may keep it." Without having any other place to put it, Illyath rolled it up and shoved it into his pocket.

"Shall we proceed then?" he asked lightly considering what it was they were about to do. If anyone in the town saw than it was guaranteed that they would be in the stocks by morning.

"Yes…but…maybe it would be best if I went alone…there will be guards and I have the power to well…blend in with the night." Illyath looked at her confused. "Become invisible," she stated bluntly.

"Ah, that seems useful."

"It is, especially when hunting and…" she let it go at that, not wanting to go into detail about what else she had done.

"But I still can't allow you to go by yourself."

"What about the guards? I can pass by them unseen but what about you?"

He grinned, "Don't worry about it, you can ask Agraelith, I'm an expert at getting in and out of places most people can't. Although how exactly are you planning to speak with the orc without the guards hearing? They're going to be standing extremely close."

That posed a problem, but a fixable one. Why had she not thought about beforehand? "I can fix that."

"Please tell me it does not involve weapons, excessive bleeding, and death." He really did not think it was a good idea to kill off the guards. After all, it was their job and they were only trying to protect the people of the town.

"No, I believe it involves this," she pulled something out of her pouch and held it up. It looked to be a folded piece of worn leather. Illyath looked at it skeptically, he did not understand how some folded piece of animal was going to help them.

"And you're going to do what exactly?"

"Hold your breath," she opened it, careful not to spill any. It contained what looked like an assortment of ground up jewels. She closed it again, making sure that none had escaped before she breathed in again.

"What exactly is that?" he asked curiously.

"Breathing in the smallest amount of this will cause one to fall into a deep sleep. To much of it can put one into a permanent sleep."

"And it's safe to use this? It doesn't sound very pleasant."

"I have used it before and never has anyone been harmed. If used properly it wears off in a few hours, giving us enough time to speak with the captive and leave undetected." She did not mention the time when she had been practicing with it and accidentally put her elder in a sleep that lasted nearly three days. It was something that Illyath was much better off not knowing.

"Well, sounds good then. I'm assuming that you're going to turn invisible, go up there, give them a little whiff of it and then once they're knocked out then I'll join you?"

"Yes." Carya was happy that she had come up with a plan that actually sounded well put together. Her elders she knew would be proud of her. Normally she hung back and let others plan everything out. Not that she did not have any ideas herself…she just felt that they were not good enough to compare with the others.

They sat for another moment, Carya trying to collect her thoughts and questions. Illyath tugged on the leather gauntlet that he was fond of wearing. Not that he really needed it; he wore it because after he had deserted the King's Guard, he felt naked with out it. One who knew him well would have understood this gesture to mean that he was setting himself up to do something that he was nervous about. He knew that really Agraelith should be going with Carya, but the night elf turned out to be quite stubborn when she wanted to. It did not help that Agraelith was…well…in no position to be leaving the inn.

* * *

The room was silent when he staggered in, cursing himself, cursing Illyath, and cursing Carya. This night had turned out much differently from what he had wanted. He had no idea what had possessed him to drink like that. Memories of the last time he had been drunk entered his head. Ryland, that had been his name. He still remembered holding the blade up to his throat, remembered the pure fury that coursed through his veins. He could have killed him, he may have killed him had the others not dragged him off.

Slamming the door behind him he made his way shakily over to the bed, tripping on the edge sending him sprawling onto it. He started laughing but soon they turned into choking sobs. He felt Star land nimbly beside him and her silk fur tickled his face. "I've made a mess of things, by the gods but I've made a mess of things…"

He tried to remember all that had happened that night but his memory took him back to the previous time. What had been the argument then? He barely remembered his mind had been so clouded…not only with drink but with white hot anger. His sister…Elayna…she had been the youngest of them and the only girl. When he was young she had always tried to follow himself and Illyath on their "adventures." Of course he always told her to go away and leave them alone, that she was a girl. Her beautiful little face had always scrunched up and her large blue eyes had icy. Then she had tossed her white-blonde hair over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue calling him all the names she could think of. It was quite amusing actually.

The day that she died had been a blow to them all. He ached inwardly for not being there when it had happened. He had been far away by then and word had reached him in a letter. He remembered the day that he had followed Illyath's lead and deserted. She had found him, her long hair framing her flushed face. It was clear that she had ran through the entire city in search of him. Leaning over gasping for breath she had pleaded with him not to do it, to return to the guard. He had of course not listened to her, instead he had taken her into his arms and kissed the top of her head telling her that one day perhaps they would meet again. They had not though, occasionally they would write to one another, but he was mainly on the move at that time and it had been hard for the letters to reach him. The last letter he had received from her was when she had told him about her pregnancy, that she was about to have Ryland's child. How he had wanted to kill that man.

The next letter he had received was not from her, but from their elder brother, telling him of her death. Pleading with him to come home for a few days, he had not known what to do with the child that had managed to survive and he was grieving for Elayna. Agraelith regretted what he had done, instead of going back he had moved farther away, and moved their permanently. He was through of running from his problems now, as sleep came over him he knew that in the morning he would apologize to both Carya and Illyath.

* * *

The streets were completely empty and the moon was barely enough to provide any light. The way to where the orc was being kept proved to be somewhat of a maze and Carya and Illyath found themselves wandering in circles before they finally neared it. They knew when they were close because they saw the line of guards. It would be harder then she had originally thought, though her powers would make things much easier.

"Wait over there," she pointed to an alleyway and he complied silently. She let herself slip into the darkness and sighed contentedly, it was where she belonged. There was no sound from he footsteps as she walked and she confidently walked up in front of one of the guards, he was looking straight at her and for a moment she feared that perhaps she had lost her abilities but he made no move as to indicate that he had seen her.

Careful as to make not the slightest noise she reached in her pouch and drew out the leather packet. Unfolding it she held her breath as she took a pinch of the colored substance in her fingers. She stood back and made a sweeping motion with her hand, covering her nose and mouth with her other arm. One by one the guards dropped to the ground, none of them realizing what was happening. The two guards who stood directly by the cage strode forward, swords drawn. Taking a breath into her arm she held it again as she pulled out a much smaller amount and then cast it at the two unsuspecting guards. They too dropped; it was over in a matter of seconds. Swiftly she refolded the leather and stuffed it back into the pouch.

Cautiously she moved her arm down and breathed in, nothing happened. She waved for Illyath to come before realizing that he could not see her. Picking up one of the guards fallen swords she waved it in the air. Illyath appeared from the alley and quickly caught up with her.

"Where are you?" he hissed.

"Here. Hand me that."

"Hand you what?"

"This." She reached out and took the blue cloth that he wore tied around his neck. She tied it to her wrist, "Can you see it?"

"Yes, this has to be the oddest thing that I've ever been involved in. I'm following a talking, floating, cloth."

Carya could not help but laugh, it was amazing how Illyath could keep so amiable about everything. Approaching the cage, Carya scanned the grounds to make sure that all the guards had been taken care of. They were the only ones there. "Stay back," she whispered.

"No, I'm going with you, Agraelith would kill me if I let you go up there alone."

"Illyath…I will kill you if you do not let me go alone. This is something that I must do, I do not want your life to be at risk."

"What? Why would my life be at risk…I mean, he's in a cage that he can't get out of or else he would have already done it."

She sighed; apparently he still was not fully comprehending the situation. "What he has to say may be…important in the upcoming days. The less you know, the better…just in case."

"Carya, I'm not letting you carry this alone."

"I have Agraelith." She said it without hesitation. It was the truth, though that night he had failed her, she knew that he would be there to help her, to protect her.

"I can help you both; I already said that I wanted to."

"Yes, but—"

"Just let me help you," he pleaded.

"Please Illyath, I must speak with him alone…"

He looked like he was about to respond but then shrugged. "Fine, but if anything, anything at all, goes wrong then call me. I'll keep watch."

"Thank you," she hugged him gingerly.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"Hugging someone invisible is interesting," he said with a small laugh.

"Wait for me here," with that she left him to keep watch.

The cage hung over a pit filled with charred embers and various bits of bones could be seen poking through the black. Carya had handed Illyath back his bandanna and now she was completely invisible. She opened her mouth to speak but the orc spoke first.

"A night elf are you? Very interesting," his voice surprised her. He sounded almost…pleasant. "Come on elfling, no need to hide yourself. Who else could have taken out all those guards without showing themselves? Besides, I saw you earlier in the crowd, not hard to miss."

Carya said nothing; she had to admit that she was surprised. The orc had already seen her and besides, it was not like hiding was going to accomplish anything. She allowed herself to become visible and the orc nodded at her.

Her hand leapt uncontrollably to her mouth. It was beyond her how anyone could act so normal when they were in his condition. His wound was still gaping and he sat hunched at trembling, eyes half closed. She knew he was dying, and it would not be long before he drew his last breath unless she intervened. She was loath to heal him but unless she did something he would die before she was able to get any information…and information was something that she was desperately in need of.

"Hold still. I am going to heal you, but if you try to harm me in any way you will be dead before you can cause any damage."

"No need to worry about that elfling. I've no need to harm you," he said with a chuckle.

"You and I are nothing alike," she spat. "I am a night elf, my people are good and pure…you…you are nothing but a bunch of savage, murdering beast."

The orc's reaction was exactly the opposite of what she had expected…he started laughing again. "I see you don't understand me. You and I are alike, not our races. You are not the same as all the other night elves, nor I the same as all the other orcs, can you really classify me by my race?"

She stood stunned for a moment. He was right, she hated to admit it but he was right. He shuddered suddenly and she remembered what needed to be done. "Please, do not move." Reaching her hand through the bars she gave an involuntary grimace as she placed her hands on his open wound. Thick blood covered her fingers and she had to fight back her revulsion. Closing her eyes she concentrated on what his skin would look like whole again. Fire seemed to spread down her arms, it took much more magic to heal this than it had Illyath's nose. Not only did she have to heal the skin but she had to replenish some of the lost blood. Her hands began to shake and legs nearly gave out as she felt the muscle tissue weave itself back together. After a few moments there was no mark to indicate that he had been near death only a minute before.

Gasping for breath she fell to her knees, it had been years since she had last had to heal something of that magnitude. The orc poked the spot then looked down at the elf in surprise and gratitude. He had not actually expected her to listen to him. "I…I…thank you…" he growled.

Carya remained on her knees for another moment and finally pushed herself up. Her whole body felt weak, that was enough magic for one night. "I did not come here to help you," she stated. "I came here because I need to know what is going on."

He looked at her quizzically, "What do you mean."

"How were you injured?" she asked, it seemed a good enough start.

"I was on my way to the town when knights found me and tried to kill me, I took a few out…but only in self defense."

She pondered this, "Why were you trying to get to town?" she asked.

"I had heard that there was a certain person that I should talk to…one who may actually believe what I say…"

"And this person…what is his name?"

"Her name…Carya," he said looking straight at her. She shook her head in confusion. What was going on? "I know it's you little efling."

"But…but how…I don't understand."

"Would this help?" he opened his enormous hand to reveal a single crumpled black feather. "He told me that you would be needing to know some information that I have."

"And you're willing to give me the information freely?"

"Of course."

Carya considered this, "The upcoming war, what do you know about it?"

He sighed, "I know that there is an army of the undead headed this way…an army accompanied by Arthas, an army that wants to completely destroy this town."

She shook her head, "But why? It is a merchant town, why would they want to destroy it?"

"It is THE merchant town, if they burn it to the ground they cut off a supply route."

"But why would Arthas come? Is he not to important for something like this?" It did not make sense to her. Thal-Morian was not even a kingdom, why would they be so bent on destroying it?

"There is something here that they want," he said simply. She waited for him to elaborate but he said nothing more.

"What is it that they want, it must be important."

The orc shifted uncomfortably, "Apparently word got out that there's a night elf here…Arthas is interested."

For a moment the meaning of what he had said did not register. "Arthas is coming because there is a night elf…" suddenly it hit her. "He wants me…he is coming because of me?"

"They were coming anyways, he just decided to join to see for himself what a night elf was doing out of her glade."

This was not exactly what she had wanted to hear. "How do you know this?"

"I uh…have my ways," he said finally. "I'm no spy if that's what you're talking about."

"And how is it you speak the language of humans so well?" she asked once more suspicious of him.

"That my little elfling is of no concern of yours…although I could ask you the same question."

"Carya!" a call came from behind her and she spun around. Illyath was waving frantically to her.

"Go on elfling, if they let me live come back and I'll tell you the rest of what I know. But let this be goodbye for now."

"Thank you for telling me what you know. And if you tell anyone of our encounter you will not have to worry about the humans killing you."

The orc chuckled as Carya and Illyath sprinted into the night. She had seemed intelligent enough and he had enjoyed talking with someone who was not attempting to shove a sword through him. He hoped that he would live long enough to tell her the most important information that he had gathered. While he had no love for humans and no ties to the town, he would rather not see this one in the hands of the undead.

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Hope you guys enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you thought of it and how the story is progressing.

Next Chapter: Apologies, lectures, and Agraelith and Carya finally confronting what both have been denying J


	16. An Elf Can Love

Not as long as my recent chapters but should be decent. Thanks all for your reviews, I really am trying to update as fast as possible…sadly it's still not that quickly.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own WarCraft…never will

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"What is going on?" Carya asked a panting Illyath. He was bent over, hands on his knees.

"Guards. Waking up." He managed to get out between breaths.

The powder was so strong that it should have lasted for at least an hour; surely she had not talked to him that long. "How?"

"How what?" Illyath managed to straighten himself.

"They should have been affected for an hour or more."

"It was an hour…" he was looking at her with a funny expression.

"Surely I did not speak with him that long."

"The healing bit took a while, and then you collapsed. I had half a mind to run over there, but I thought it best to stay back. I know you can handle things on your own, and if you had needed me I would have known it."

Carya was glad that Illyath had been with her as opposed to Agraelith. If he had come instead, then there was a high possibility that the orc would be dead and she would be listening to an extremely long and painful rant. Agraelith…she would have to face him when she got back, after she had stormed out on him. She hoped that he had calmed down or else she was not sure she would be able to deal with him.

"What did he say?" Illyath asked finally.

"I can not tell you…not yet," she said. What she had found out was not something that she was ready to tell anyone. Her thoughts were tangled and she was not sure if she understood it herself.

"All right…well, I'm here when you need me…"

"Thank you."

They could hear shouts behind them, it was clear that the guards were fully out of their stupor and no doubt groggy and angry. Not the best combination. "Back to the inn?"

"But of course," Illyath answered with a grin. "Where we were the whole time, correct?"

"Never set foot outside," she said with a smile, understanding what he was getting at. "Hurry now."

By the time they made it back Illyath looked ready to collapse, on the other hand Carya seemed quite pleased with all the exercise. She had not run since, well, for a long while and her muscles were craving something to do.

"By the gods," Illyath grunted, flinging himself on the steps. "I am never helping you again if it involves running."

Carya sat down beside him, "If I recall correctly, you graciously volunteered to accompany me."

"Yes well, that was before I knew that we would be sprinting through the entire town in the dark." He rubbed his leg that he had hit against a small stone wall. "Some of us can't see so well in the dark."

All right, so perhaps the pace she had set had been a little hard…and perhaps she should have warned him about the wall, but it still should not have been as bad as Illyath was making it out to be. They sat for a while staring up at the night sky before Carya finally accepted her fate.

"I should go now," she said, dreading having to go back to the room that she shared with Agraelith. She prayed to the moon goddess that he was asleep.

"Yes, it is getting just a tad late. I should be heading off to my lonely home as well…you know, you could come stay with me for the night, I have more than enough room." The words came out without thought. His motives, for once, were completely innocent.

"Illyath," she said warningly.

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way. Just that…I can tell that you're a bit…ah…skeptical about going up there after what happened tonight. Although I'm sure that he's passed out by now and so it should be all right, forget that I asked."

She nodded, "I will see you tomorrow."

"All right, goodnight then." He smiled at her then leaned over to give her a hug. It surprised him a little that she did not pull away, though she did not return it. When he was gone she was left sitting alone, gathering her resolve to go back to the room.

What was she so afraid of? It was not because of Agraelith's rage, it had shocked her and angered her, but it had not scared her. His rage she could handle and she had proven that by walking out on him, no…it was something else. It was because of his jealousy, the fact that he was jealous because she had been talking to other men. She supposed that they would have to face it sooner or later; this was not something either of them could run from.

The room was dark when she entered and she saw Agraelith lying across the end of her bed, Star curled up by his ear. Closing the door behind her she quietly slipped beneath the covers of the other bed, not wanting to wake him. It was a relief that she would not have to talk to him yet, the nights events had tired her and she did not think that she could face him yet. Hopefully her head would be clearer in the morning.

It felt like someone was beating him over the head and the sun in his face did nothing to help the situation. Growling slightly he rolled over, it was time for him to face the consequences. He had not heard Carya come back last night but he was sure that she had, his thoughts were confirmed when he felt a cool hand brushing his hair back.

"Are you okay?" He wondered for a moment how she could ask that after how he had behaved the night before. "Agraelith?"

"I'm sorry," he sat up and took in her tired appearance. "I should be asking you if you're all right."

"I am fine, just tired…" she was debating whether or not to tell him what exactly she had done last night. He would no doubt be angry but getting it over and done with seemed the best thing to do. "Last night…"

"I don't know what happened to me Carya, I don't even remember half of it….but I know that I have a lot to apologize for…" That was an understatement and he knew it. "When I drink heavily, something happens to me. I can feel myself changing and I can't stop it. You've fought before; have you ever gotten blood lust?" She shook her head and he went on. "It happens to me sometimes in battle, where you can't think because a red haze seems to take over. It's a brutal lust for blood; all you can do is kill and kill and kill. That's what it's like when I drink, I can't think because of the haze. Don't get me wrong, there's no lust for killing but I honestly find myself in the same situation, not being able to control myself." He sighed and rubbed his face, he had sworn off getting drunk and now he remembered why. "That's the last time I'm ever drinking, ever, at all," he said at last. He was not quite done yet. "I'm so sorry Carya, I really am. I should never have interfered in the first place and I shouldn't have yelled at you, or accused you, or—"

The elf knew that he was killing himself over this and she could not stand it, "I forgive you, and I know that Illyath forgives you as well."

That was right; he had hit his friend in the face…and broken his nose. He lay back on the bed a hand over his eyes. Surprised when he found them lifted away and Carya looking down at him. "Stop this," her tone was commanding. "Do not do this to yourself, it was a mistake and while you must take responsibility for your actions it was not entirely your fault."

"I shouldn't have done it, I knew what would happen. I think in a way I wanted it…that's what makes me feel so guilty…" There had been that piece of him that had wanted it, he could have stopped long before he knew what was happening, but he had not. He had not because he had been so frustrated with everything, he wanted to get away, wanted the haze to take over…and in a way he had wanted to let all of his anger out. Something he could not do because he would not allow himself. Maybe that was the reason blood lust would grip him in battle and when he drank his anger would lash out. It took his mind from reality and he was replaced by the side of him that he would let no one see, no one know about. The side of him that was not really him at all but rather some dark monster clawing and ripping to be freed. One that he kept chained unless something cut it free and when that happened there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Do not feel guilty. I…I know that you have been through times that others would not have lasted through."

"What happened last night, what did you do when you left?"

She had thought that they would never reach the subject but now that it was here she decided to tell him the truth. "I healed Illyath…and then I went to speak to the orc…Illyath went with me so you would not be as angry as if I had gone alone."

He bit back his temper at this news, after last night he did not think that responding angrily would help matters. "Carya…that was…dangerous," he said at last. She knew that he was controlling himself carefully, scared of what had happened.

"I know, but it needed to be done and everything worked out, no need to worry."

Of course he was going to worry, how could he not? She saw the way that he was looking at her and made a move to stand, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He reached out and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her back down. Part of her wanted to protest but the other part of her won and she sank down next to him.

"Listen to me, what you did could have gotten both you and Illyath arrested, jailed, and possibly executed. Talking to a prisoner, especially an orc, in the middle of the night does not look very good."

"We knew what we were doing," she mumbled but decided to let him talk if it made him feel better.

"You may have but what about your safety? I told you that we would go together, then I could have assured the fact that nothing would happen."

She did not mention that fact that it also would have assured the fact that he would not have let her within feet of the orc. "Nothing happened, no one saw, and we are both perfectly fine." Excluding Illyath's bruised shin that was.

He sighed; there was not much else he could say about the matter. "Next time, promise me that you won't do anything rash."

She did not think that what she had done was what you would call rash but she promised him anyways.

"Well, what did you find out?"

Now was the time to lie, though she regretted it, she simply could not tell him that Arthas was coming partially because of her. Agraelith would no doubt go into guardian mode and not give her a moments rest. "He confirmed the fact that there will be a war soon, an army of undead will march upon Thal-Morian, possibly accompanied by Arthas."

Agraelith cursed, this was not the news he had wanted to hear. "Is that all the orc could tell you?"

"I think he had something else he wanted to say, but the guards began waking up. We can go back together."

"All right then, promise me though that this time we _will_ go together. No leaving without me or that sort of thing."

"I promise," she said at last. It could not be that bad she reasoned, besides, since she had already spoken to him and no harm had befallen her, Agraelith would have to trust her judgement.

Now that they had covered most of the night before there was one more thing Agraelith needed to address. He did not want to do it, he wanted to avoid it, he had tried to convince himself that he did not love her…but it had not worked. Now that they were laying everything out he knew that this was another thing that needed to be out in the open…they needed to talk about it or else he would drive himself mad. She was looking at him, her expression unreadable.

Carya knew what was going on, knew what he wanted to say. She wanted to run, to hide, and not face it. There was nothing that she could do, she could not lie anymore, she did not want to nor did she want to confront it. It could change everything; shatter her carefully constructed wall against it. They had told her that she would never love, had warned her against it. This feeling though, she knew what it was, and it was the one emotion she had never wanted to face and thought that she would never have to.

"I…I think that we need to…uh…I think we need to talk this over…" he stammered. This was not exactly something that he knew how to go about.

"What is it?" she had no idea how to make it easier for him…or for her for that matter.

"Carya, listen…I…" This was not going at all how he had hoped.

"Agraelith…I know…" abandoning her normal composure she reached over and wrapped her arms around his neck, his arms immediately circled her waist.

"I know that you can't love, but I can't help it."

"They were wrong about it, they were wrong…because I do know what love is." She pulled back and he looked at her quizzically, "You showed me what it is," her voice had turned to a whisper.

"You…you what?" he wanted to be sure that he had heard correctly.

"I think I know what love is…"

He could only stare for a moment, this was…amazing. He had already hardened himself for her to reject him in some way, tell him that she could never love him. Cupping her face in his hands he leaned in, only partially surprised when she gently pushed him away.

"I want to know first…"

"Know what?"

"You know of my life, my friends, my parents…but I know barely anything about you…" she had not realized it until Illyath had told her about Agraelith's family, and now she wanted to know. Rushing into something as big as this was not something she wanted to do. There was a reason night elves had given up on love, she wanted to be careful.

For a moment it seemed like he was not going to answer but then he lay down, and pulled her down with him. "All right then…where do you want me to start?"

"Your family…tell me of them."

"So you know if I'm some dirty ruffian or not?"

"Exactly," she smiled at him and he laughed.

"Well you'll be happy to know that my father was a Paladin Knight, my mother the daughter of farmers. My father was a good man and a powerful knight, ever since I was little I knew that I wanted to make him proud…not sure if I ever managed that. I'm glad that he never knew that I deserted the King's Guard...although I suppose that if it meant him being still alive…"

"What happened?"

"What happens to most knights…he died in battle…"

"I am sorry," and she truly was, she could tell that he had loved his father.

"It's all right…what else? I have a brother, older then me…and I had a sister…"

"Illyath told me…"

"Ah…yes…"

For over an hour he talked and Carya listened. Listened to his guilt at not being there for his sister, his pain at becoming so removed from his brother, and his anger at himself for not being able to protect his niece.

"They sent her to me when she was old enough, thought that she should be with family. My brother was nowhere to be found, still have no idea where he is or what he's doing…don't even know if he's alive. I didn't want to take her at first, what kind of life could she live with a soldier? But my sister made it clear before she died that she wanted her to be raised by family, and that left me as I was the closest." He sighed, "She was the most willful and charming child, you would have loved her. That day…the day of the attack…I had sent her to friends house, they were old and their son was off fighting so they were watching their grandchildren as well…I thought it was the safest thing to do…" he broke off into chocked sobs.

"It was not your fault," she turned on her side so she could hug him, he welcomed her embrace.

"Sorry about that," he said as he rubbed his eyes. It was rather embarrassing tearing up in front of her, but he knew that she would understand.

She was so close to him now, her head next to his. He breathed her in and without thinking closed the distance between them. She did not pull back this time and he kissed her, emotions exploding within both of them. As quick as it had started it was over and he sat up, "I…I didn't mean to, I know that I shouldn't have." Agraelith avoided facing her, unsure of how she had felt about it.

Carya was surprised, not only had she enjoyed the kiss but it had felt so…right. The connection that she felt with him had seemed to come alive. Without saying anything she ran her hands through his hair and smiled, grinning he pulled her closer. Her eyes closed as he kissed her again and suddenly she knew that everything would be all right…

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I can't believe how hard it was to write that last part…and it still didn't turn out that great. sigh I tried. Please review :-)

Next chapter: more talking with orc, non understanding people, and other things


	17. Moving In

Trying to keep my updates coming. Thanks so much for your reviews!

Disclaimer: Never will own War Craft...please don't hurt me

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The next few days passed with what could only be described as pure happiness. Now that Carya and Agraelith had finally gotten around what they had been trying to avoid, their lives were much less complicated. It was not all easy however. They had been walking down the street and Carya was receiving her usual amount of looks when Agraelith firmly placed his arm around her waist. The looks had turned from curiosity to surprise to disgust. This was how it was wherever they went; the people of the town did not seem to like the idea of a human with a night elf. In fact, most of the people did not seem to like the idea of a night elf being there at all. That coupled with the fact that an orc had been brought in had caused uneasiness in the town and tempers were now quick to flare.

This being the case they decided it best if they waited until speaking to the orc again. It was still being kept alive, apparently the soldiers had decided that it may have some useful information…useful information that could not be gotten out of it. So there it sat, proudly one might say, for while the citizens through their curses and taunts it remained always with humorous expression on its face. It seemed to find the humans amusing, and so the humans took this as a sign that it found itself better than they and their taunts also turned to the resident night elf.

Carya was glad to have Agraelith with her, not only because she loved him but also because with him the people were less likely to insult her. This did not stop everyone much to her chagrin. Though some, like the girl and her brother, took her for a sign of hope.

Agraelith was already dressing for the day when Carya woke up. They still slept in their separate beds; she did not think it proper to do otherwise. Star began pawing her arm, mewing.

"I think she's hungry," Carya announced sitting up.

"You or the cat?" finished securing his leather belt he turned with a grin on his face.

"Both."

"All right then, and I suppose since I'm the one up and ready it's my job to get the cat food."

"Of course," Carya flopped back down on her bed, pulling the pillow under her head.

"The least you could do is get up," he was smiling at her.

"No, I do believe I can stay here as long as I like."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you can't."

"And why not may I ask?" She knew what was about to happen and firmly grabbed a handful of sheets

He grabbed her around the waist and tried to lift her off the bed but her grip remained firm, the sheets did not. They gave way causing both of them to fall into a tangled, laughing, pile. "Ouch, I thought I told you to remind me not to do that again," he rubbed his back.

"That was not my fault besides; the blankets should have broken your fall." She stood up and helped Agraelith untangle himself then spread the sheets back on the bed. "At least you succeeded in getting me up."

Normally she was the one up first but recently there did not seem to be much of a point in getting up early. Agraelith left to get something for the cat to eat and Carya brushed her hair and pinned it up, something she had never done until she a few days ago. It seemed to be the custom for women here and she wanted to fit in as best she could. Although there was not much that she could do, everything about her stood out from her pointed ears to purple skin. Not only that but she still was forced to wear the dress that the maid had allowed her to borrow, which was much to short for her.

There was a knock on the door and Carya opened it apprehensively only to find Agraelith standing there with food in one hand and a package in the other. He threw the package onto the bed and dropped the slivers of meat on the floor for Star. The kitten eagerly began devouring it.

"What is that?" Carya gestured towards the package which seemed to be a neat lump of brown paper and twine.

"Something you'll be pleased to have. Here, open it," he picked it up and handed it to her.

Carefully she untied the string and let the paper fall to the floor, holding up a dress. It was the one made of deep green and soft purple material, it was beautiful. "She had it delivered to the inn for us. Go ahead, put it on."

"Turn around," Carya said and Agraelith gave a fake sigh.

"If I must."

"Yes you must." She waited until he was facing the other direction and then pulled off the threadbare dress she had on and exchanged it for the elegant one she now held.

The material was soft but a little heavy, she twirled around allowing the full skirt to swirl about her feet. The sleeves were slightly off the shoulders but draped around her arms like those of a robe. She secured the sash tightly around her waist before she touched Agraelith on the shoulder. He turned and said nothing for a moment, she was afraid that he did not like it but those fears were turned aside rather quickly.

"You my little elf, are beautiful," he easily picked her up and swung her around. "Simply beautiful."

It was already near noon by the time they finally left the inn, they were both startled to find Illyath lounging on the steps waiting for them.

"About time you two got here, I haven't seen you for days. What have you been up to?" He took another look at Carya, "You look lovely today."

"Thank you," she smiled at him and for a moment Agraelith wished that the smile was directed at him, but he let the feeling pass.

"Ahem, I really came here to talk about something. You can't stay at the inn forever, I mean it costs money and so forth and I just don't see the point when you can stay at my place. I have more than enough room."

"And this couldn't wait?" Agraelith asked; his friend could be puzzling at times.

"Well, I figured why wait, the idea came to me this morning and I haven't seen you in a few days so I figured why not now."

"I don't know…What do you think Carya?"

She thought about it for a moment. He did have a point, their money would run out soon and Star had to stay in that cramped room all day…Agraelith had known Illyath for ages and from the time that she had spent with him he seemed sincere enough.

"I think it is a good idea," she said at last.

"That's what I thought too, it must mean that it's a good idea then," Illyath grinned at Agraelith who could not help but laugh.

"All right then, if both of you agree on it then I suppose I do too."

"That's what I thought."

"Do you mind if we look at it?" Carya asked; she knew that Illyath said that he had enough room but she wanted to make sure. She did not want to impose upon him.

"No problem, now?"

"We don't have anything else to do." Agraelith had decided that it was probably for the best if they lived with him for a while.

They made their way past a few shops then down a narrow street until they reached a few run down houses. For a moment Carya thought that one of them was Illyath's but he kept walking, he lead them down another street past more shops and then past more houses until they reached an archway with a solid wooden door. Carya glanced at Agraelith but her thoughts were confirmed when Illyath pulled out a giant iron key and opened it. He ushered them in and Carya's mouth dropped.

They stood in a stone courtyard with a small fountain in the middle, a huge stone house stood behind it. Vines dotted with white flowers had climbed their way up the walls giving what would have been a dreary appearance a quite lovely one. It was by far not the largest house in Thal-Morian but it was grand.

"Welcome to my lovely home." Ilyath opened the door and lead the way into the hall. Every room was illuminated by candles lining the wall, hardwood floors reflecting the soft glow. Books and maps seemed to sprawl over tables and chairs in every room. They followed him up an enormous staircase and down another hall, this one lined with paintings framed in gold.

"This my dear, will be your room," he pushed open a door and allowed her to enter first. It was the most exquisite room she had seen in her entire life, much different from the living areas of the night elves.

The bedroom could have fit four of the rooms that they were currently staying in. A canopy bed stood against one wall with red velvet sheets lined with gold silk. Opposite of it a large fireplace stood, the marble mantle held various decorative items. She knelt slightly to run her hand over the white and black fur rugs that covered nearly the entire floor. "Illyath…this is…this is wonderful…"

"And looking for some use, no one's stayed here since I bought the house."

While it was a very nice house, Carya wondered why anyone would buy such a thing when they would not use all the rooms. A smaller house would have worked just as well. Not only that but how had he gotten the money, he had assured her that his ways were perfectly honorable. From what Agraelith had told her the day before while walking past a few mansions, merchants in these parts were very rich. However, while Illyath was merchant she did not figure him to be a prominent one. The answer would have to come later she supposed.

Next they visited the room that Agraelith would stay; it was across the hall from Carya's. The room was equally as large with a four poster bed but it lacked the fur rugs, not that this bothered Agraelith. All the fur on the floor had been a bit too much for his taste.

"Well, what do you guys think…still want to move in?"

"Yes, and thank you for allowing us to do so," Carya was truly grateful, she had not realized how small the room at the inn was until they had come here.

"How long are you planning to stay in Thal-Morian?"

Carya and Agraelith exchanged looks, they had not really talked about it but one thing had been decided on for certain. "If there truly is a war coming, then we'll stay until it passes." Agraelith said at last.

"Well, you're welcome here for as long as want." He looked around, "Do you want to go ahead and get your stuff now? Or you can wait until later…"

"We can go ahead and do it now, get it over with…that all right Carya?" She nodded.

It did not take them long to gather their belongings and soon they were back at Illyath's house. Once they were through the door Star leapt off Agraelith's shoulder and began a thorough investigation of every inch of the place.

"You do not mind her, do you?" Carya asked. She had forgotten to warn him about the panther cub.

"Not at all, always wanted a pet."

They talked for much of the afternoon, sitting on the carved chairs at the dining table. Carya studied one of the maps while Illyath was busy talking to Agraelith…something about it drew her attention. A spider web of paths had been traced from Thal-Morian to other various towns, marks had been made where certain ones crossed and a list ran down one side. She tried to read it but forced her attention back to the conversation before Illyath saw her, she would have to look at it later.

"You know that they moved the orc today," Illyath was saying.

"What? Where?" Agraelith looked slightly worried now.

"To the prison, decided he was safe enough to throw in with the rest of them."

"How are we supposed to get to it now?"

Illyath laughed, "Ah come on, it should be easy compared to some of the stuff we used to do."

"You do have a point…still need to talk to it Carya?"

"Yes, there was something else it wished to tell me but did not get a chance…" she was curious as to know what it was. She still had not Illyath or Agraelith exactly what it had said to her.

"Want to go now?" Illyath stood up, tugging the bottom of his jacket to straighten it.

"But it is still day, should we not wait?" Night she knew was the optimal time to go, especially if it had been moved to a prison.

"Don't worry, we can go now, get it over with."

"Illyath, she's right, there's no rush."

"Actually there is, right about now the guards on duty are going on break. When they go on break the next shift comes in…but the next shift will take their time getting there, trust me on this one…now is the time."

"Illyath, I swear that if you tell us wrong then I'll—"

"Don't worry about it, come on now," with that their friend bounded towards the door. His energy was astounding.

The prison was a stark stone building with a threatening air about it. A pock-marked guard stood by the heavily barred oak door.

"This way," nonchalantly Illyath switched directions and lead them around the back talking loudly about something or another.

Carya wondered how exactly Illyath knew the grounds of the prison so well. There was a service entry door where the guards could go in and out, one was stationed on the outside. Illyath walked up to him and whispered something in his ear, then handed over a hefty bag of coins. The guard smiled and opened it for them, smirking at Carya as she passed. Agraelith put a protective hand on her arm; she smiled and took his hand in hers.

Torches periodically lit the hall they were walking down, finally they came to a set of stairs and they made their way down into the darkness. The smell was wretched, a mixture of sweat and sickness. There were no guards at the bottom and they passed freely looking in each cell for the familiar lump of an orc. They heard his laughter long before they reached him.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd come to visit me again," he growled when Carya approached the iron bars.

"There was something else that you wished to tell me, what was it?"

"What, no greeting for me?" he put on a hurt expression.

"Just talk orc," Agraelith had come forward, his arm automatically going around the elf's waist.

"Not to polite are you? That my little elfling is why we should stay away from them, and they call us barbaric."

Agraelith looked like he was about to retort but Carya cut him off, "Please, we must know."

"All right, all right, at least you're polite about it. Where did we leave off?"

She glanced nervously at Agraelith, the orc saw this and said, "Sorry human, this is between the elf and my self."

"Please Agraelith; let me speak with him alone."

He looked at her as if she was mad, "What? Carya listen to me, I'm staying right here."

"Please?" she kissed his cheek and he sighed in resignation.

"All right, but remember that we need to be out of here as fast as we can."

Once he and Illyath had left to keep an eye on the entrance, she turned her attention to the captive orc. "Thank you…"

"No problem, I'm guessing you haven't told him about Arthas coming because of you."

"No, I haven't…but what was the other thing that you wished to tell me?"

The orc leaned back against the grimy cell wall, "So you know that the army of undead is coming…but what you really need to know is that it's coming in two parts. The sole purpose of the first is to wipe out the town; the sole purpose of the second is to finish whatever the first didn't."

"How many?"

"That I'm afraid I can't tell you." There was something about the way he said it that made it seem like he knew but was not telling, but she did not pry.

"Is that all?"

"Pretty much, except I also wanted to warn you that the chances of this town surviving are very small. It would be wise for the people to evacuate."

"They can not do that; it would be giving our lands to the undead. It would be handing them victory, I would rather die fighting here than allow that to happen."

"I know little elfling…but this war does not look like it's going in our favor. We are too divided…how can we fight if we continue to fight against each other?"

"I have felt the same, but there must be a way…there has to be. We can unite."

The orc gave a hearty laugh, "I know that you and that human have managed to unite but what about the rest of the world?"

Heat rose to Carya's face, "We must try at least, we two are making progress are we not?"

"Yes, but like I said before, I don't represent my whole race just like you don't represent yours."

This seemed to be getting her no where, "Have you spoken to the sorcerer, the raven?"

"Not yet I haven't, but I've heard of him…and it sounds like I need too."

"I believe you should, if I see him I shall inform him of your whereabouts."

"This conversation has been a lovely one little elfling, but I do believe the guards are due any minute. Promise me one thing before you leave," he had reached over to grab her wrist; she was surprised to find that she did not fear it at all.

"Yes?"

"If a war does come, promise to get me out of here, I want to fight. You were right, we can't hand it over to them."

She grinned, "I promise." He released her wrist and she made her way back over to Agraelith and Illyath.

"Learn anything important?" Agraelith asked while glaring over at the orc.

"Yes, but come, we must leave before the guards arrive."

Carya lay curled up on top of the soft covers, Star once in a while batting at her feet. She wanted to sleep but found that she could not. It was the first time that her life made no sense and her mind was trying to untangle it all. Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, she looked up.

Agraelith slid down next to her, pulling him into his arms. She loved the way his beard tickled her face. "Can't sleep?" he asked.

"No…"

"Well, neither can I…maybe we can help each other."

She lay in his arms; his warmth seemed to soak into her. In his arms she let her tangled thoughts go and concentrated only on his rhythmic breathing. He was comforted by her as well, loving the way that she seemed to fit so perfectly against him. It took them only a few minutes before they were finally asleep.

* * *

And another chapter done, yay for me! Pweeze review, I wuv you! Ahem, anyways…

Next chapter: umm…hmm…ah yes, how Illyath accumulated all his money, Agraelith does something without telling Carya, and…you'll see :-)

I really want to respond to some of your reviews but sadly it will have to wait, thanks once again for them (the reviews that is)!


	18. They Were Wrong

Stupid writer's block…

A/N: All right…so I lied about what was going to be in this chapter, they'll be in the next chapter instead. I decided that my fic is all serious and thought that it wouldn't hurt if they had a bit of fun :-)

OMG, over 100 reviews…I LOVE YOU ALL! Platonically that is.

Disclaimer: don't own War Craft…

* * *

She lay still, feeling so warm and comfortable that she did not want to get up it. Then a thought struck her and she turned ever so slightly and her fears were confirmed. Agraelith lay next to her still asleep, one arm slung over her. Instead of sliding out from under him like she knew she should do she stayed, breathing him in. She could not help but notice how wonderful he smelled and felt that she would like nothing more than to lay there all morning. Unfortunately it seemed all good things must come to an end.

"And what were you two doing last night?" Illyath had appeared in the doorway and was peering in at them with a slightly amused expression, not at all embarrassed.

Groaning Agraelith sat up rubbing his face, glancing at his surroundings. When he saw Carya blushing and Illyath grinning he cursed silently. "Illyath, will you get out?" he snapped.

"Fine fine, I can see that you two would much rather be alone," he chuckled as he turned from them.

"B-but nothing happened between us," Carya swiftly got out of bed, knowing that if Illyath had gotten any ideas he would be loathe too let them go.

"Uh huh, sure…that's just why you two were in bed together."

"Sleeping!" she exclaimed rather perturbed.

Illyath raised an eyebrow infuriating her further, "Really now."

"I'd stop now if I were you…she's beginning to look a bit murderous," Agraelith had gotten out of bed as well. "Well, I'm off to go change…I'll let you two resolve this. And for your information, nothing happened." He winked at Carya as he pushed his way between them and headed back to his own room.

She turned on Illyath, "Nothing happened," she stated firmly, reiterating what Agraelith had just said.

It looked as if he was about to make a rather smart comment but then decided against it. "Nothing happened, I get it."

"Are you sure you understand?"

"Positive."

"Good." She gave a sigh of relief, that had not been nearly as bad as she had thought it would.

Illyath leaned against the door frame, "So, any plans on what to do today?"

"Actually…yes, I do believe so," she attempted to exit but he remained barring the door.

"Does it involve Agraelith?" he asked slyly.

"No, it does not," she stepped over his outstretched legs.

"Does it involve me?" he followed her down the hall.

"Of course not," she answered slightly exasperated

"Does it involve the orc?"

"No! Will you kindly stop questioning me?" she had made it to the kitchen. "Illyath, do you have anything to eat?"

"Yes, shall I make you some breakfast my dearest elfling?" he grabbed a loaf of bread and began cutting it.

"What did you call me?"

"You didn't seem to mind the orc calling you that," he replied with a shrug. He began to butter the slices and then topped it all off with thin slices of cheese.

"That is quite different." He handed her a plate and she thanked him.

"You are most welcome my dearest," he had that cocky grin on his face again and Carya scowled.

"You know, you manage to make that look quite becoming."

"I…what!"

"Scowling all the time, it suits you." Nimbly he leapt out of the way as she attempted to hit him with a book that had been lying on the table. "Now now, violence is bad, especially when aimed at me."

She let out a frustrated cry and sat down, focusing on eating. Their decision to move in was beginning to look as if it had been a rather bad idea. At least the food tasted good. When she was finished she stood to clean the plate but Illyath took it from her, "I've got it."

"So what was it you were planning on doing today?"

Carya had already stood up and was heading back to her room to change, "Going for a swim."

Grabbing her dingy pack off the floor she unrolled the blanket and pulled out her old clothes. Slipping them on swiftly, she darted back out looking forward to the day. It would be a relief getting away from Agraelith…she loved being around him, truly she did…but it was time for her to be alone for a little while, and getting away from Illyath was always a plus. She had meant to go straight out the front door without any questioning but Agraelith called out to her while she made her dash through the kitchen. Coming to an immediate halt, she could tell that a guilty expression was forming on her face.

"Where are you off to?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Going for a swim…"

"Erm…Carya…there's no water around here," he said glancing towards Illyath.

"Yes there is, I checked the map with the most recent date…there is a lake near here…correct?" she turned to Illyath and he nodded.

"It's out by the forest bordering the town, not too far. I assume you were planning on stealing one of my horses?"

The guilty expression deepened. All right, so she had been considering taking one of his horses without asking…but she would not consider it stealing…she was going to bring it right back. Seeing her face, Illyath smiled, "I was joking."

"Don't you want us to come with you?" Agraelith stood.

How to explain it to him without hurting his feelings? It turned out that things could become more complicated than they should when it came to someone you cared about.

"Well…actually…I love spending time with you…you know that…but I just…I feel…that…maybe…"

"Carya?" he was smiling.

Timidly she looked up at him, "Yes?"

"It's fine, go on now…but do be careful," he warned her. "In fact, take this." He tossed her his dagger still in its sheath and she caught it.

"I will not be gone long," she hugged him and he kissed her cheek.

"Have fun!" he called after her as she walked out the door.

The water was clear and sparkled invitingly in the sun; a warm breeze lazily caressed her. Nimbly, she dismounted and allowed Lofn to wander, knowing that the horse would stay close. She approached the edge of the lake, hesitating for only moment before stepping into it, cool water flowing over her feet, wading until she reached the point where she could swim.

She felt the heat disappear as the surface of the lake grew farther away. Under the water there was a calmness that could be found no where else. The only sound was her rhythmic heart beat; her arms stretched out in front of her and her legs propelled her along. Reaching down she opened her hand flat, touching the bottom before swimming back towards the sun, lungs pleading for air.

Laughing she broke the surface, earning a patronizing look from Lofn.

"Well that's something I never expected to see…"

The voice came from behind her and she turned, treading the water. Slowly her hand reached towards her waist, only to find that she had left the dagger back on the shore. How could she have been so careless?

The man was standing close to the water, sweat dripping slightly from under his light brown hair. "Looks like you had the same idea I did," his voice was pleasant but Carya remembered the towns uneasiness about strangers, it was an uneasiness that she shared. He did not seem surprised in the least that she was a night elf. When she did not respond he asked, "Well…mind if I come in?"

Truthfully she did mind, but she was not rude enough to voice her reservations. "No, of course not."

He stripped off his plain brown tunic and coarse undershirt, she found herself blushing. Fingering his belt, he seemed to decide it better if he left it on and he smiled cautiously at her as he entered the water. "Been out all morning and couldn't quite stand the heat anymore."

The wise thing to do, she decided, was not respond and he would eventually leave her alone. She began to swim the other way and could not help but look back as he came up from a dive. Water dripped down his tan skin and she forced herself to look away.

* * *

"All right Agraelith, Carya's out having fun…what do you want to do?" Illyath sprung up from his seat at the lack of his friend's enthusiasm. "Oh come on, you've been together every single day for how long? You know you both need a break from each other."

"Yes, but I promised her mother that I would protect her…that involves actually being near her to watch her."

"No, we are not going to go spy on her. Not only would she kill you but she'd probably do it in the most painful way she could."

"I wasn't saying that," he sighed giving in, "I'm guessing you already have a plan."

A slow grin spread across Illyath's face, "'Course I do!"

* * *

It seemed that they had worked out an unspoken agreement; Carya swam on one side of the lake while the man swam on the other. She was lazily doing laps while he floated on his back, once in a while pausing to submerge himself. It was all going quite well until he got out and called over to her, "Care to join me for lunch?"

She had to admit that she was a bit hungry. Sharing food with a stranger however…no…she would not do it. "No, thank you but I would rather not," she called back.

He shrugged and began digging in a leather sack, pulling out what looked like bread and a chunk of dried meat. Managing to resist her urge for food, she continued to swim but it was not long before she decided that a break was needed.

The sun was warm on her face as she stretched out in the grass, the dagger now resting by her side. Closing her eyes she remained alert, still wary of the man who had joined her swim. A shadow fell over her and her eyes snapped open, automatically unsheathing the dagger.

"Whoa," the man put his hands up and backed away slowly. "Er…sorry…"

"Who are you?" she questioned, getting to her feet.

"My name's Ream," his eyes were wide as he eyed the weapon in her hand. It was then that she realized that he had barely reached manhood, and by the looks of it, had led a pretty easy life.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was hot and decided to go for a swim…"

"Where are you from?"

"Thal-Morian," his voice had a slightly pleading tone and she could almost smell his fear. She continued her questioning.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen," he stammered.

"What is it that you do?"

"What?"

"For a living, what is it that you do?" she repeated, her voice softening a little.

"I…well…nothing…I help my dad I guess, but…" he looked embarrassed and she understood. He was the son of a wealthy merchant; there was no need for him to work.

He now looked positively scared out of his mind and she smiled reassuringly. "I suppose to be fair I should tell you a little about myself." Normally she would have done no such thing, but after scaring the poor lad she decided that it was fair.

"My name is Carya, I am a night elf…" she had never exactly properly introduced herself to someone and she found herself at a loss.

He helped her out, "How old are you?"

"One hundred and thirty."

Ream's jaw dropped, "No way is that possible."

"Night elves live for an eternity, we are the immortal." Unless of course they were killed…but she saw no need to add that.

* * *

"Illyath, this is by far the most pointless idea you have ever come up with."

They were standing in the middle of the street…standing…just standing. "Just wait a moment and watch." He seemed to be looking for something, "Ah hah," he murmured.

A woman with soft blonde hair falling loosely about her narrow shoulder was about to pass them.

"Quick, push me," he pleaded.

"You my friend have officially gone daft," Agraelith shook his head.

"Just do it will you," he watched the woman getting ready to walk by them.

Rolling his eyes, Agraeltih shoved his friend who staggered into the woman. "Sorry about that, midear," he said with the biggest apologetic face he could muster.

"Quite all right sir," she continued on without so much as a glance back and Illyath frowned.

"So that didn't work to well, let's move on to something else then, shall we?"

* * *

Ream she noticed was still eyeing her dagger, "Do you er…do you actually use that?" he asked.

Carya laughed but managed to stop when she saw his hurt expression, "Why else would I have it?"

"I dunno…but women don't normally carry them…"

"Night elves are warriors," she flicked it into the air and caught it easily, amused by his obvious surprise.

"Father wouldn't let me learn, said there was no need for it," he looked sheepish. "Could you erm…could you teach me?" his eyes met hers and she felt an unfamiliar tug at her heart. He seemed so…innocent…something that she had observed to be rare among the youth here. There was something she had to be sure of first, in a completely normal seeming movement she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, then smiled.

"Of course, although…I have only my dagger…I could teach you to throw, but if you want to learn swordplay or archery I shall have to show you later."

"You would do that?" he seemed eager and excited. "Father would be furious." For some reason this particular thought seemed to encourage him but she decided not to press the matter.

"Watch," she turned scanning the grounds by the lake. With one swift fluid movement the dagger was embedded in a near by tree, hilt gleaming in the sun. His eyes were wide and a grin spread across his face.

"Can I?" he pointed at it and as soon as she nodded he was racing across the grass and pulled it from the trees hold.

After careful instruction and another demonstration she handed it over to him. Eyebrows scrunched together in careful concentration he mimicked her movements, sadly the results were not nearly as impressive. The dagger dropped feet before the intended target and he let out a sigh of frustration.

"Maybe I'm just not meant for it," he said and she was irked by how swift he was in giving up.

"Nonsense, go retrieve it and try again. Things like these take patience, if I had given up every time I had failed on the first try, I would not be here now."

"But…you're different then me…I'm…I'm useless, not good at anything…" he mumbled.

This was proving to be much more than she had bargained for; his looks had suggested he would be a quick pupil but was now proving quite the opposite. Then a thrill went up her spine, a challenge that is what this was. She herself had been considered something of a prodigy, excelling at everything, quick to learn, but she had had her faults. Being hopelessly naïve and idealistic, she supposed that was how she had ended up here in the first place. Now however, now she had the chance to help someone who was not as quick as herself, and she would do it. There was fire in him, she could sense it and once she blew on it, irritated it, she had a feeling that he would make a leap forward. Prove to be what she had first seen in him. Carya had a feeling what it was that would excite the slowly burning embers.

"Is that what your father says?" she asked him in an airy tone.

"Well…not exactly…but I know that's what he thinks…"

"Perhaps he is right," she snapped. "Giving up after one try," snorting she turned from him and it seemed she had come to the correct conclusion.

"No! Let me see it," he reached out and she smiled as she handed it to him.

"Find your target, do you have it?"

He nodded.

"Concentrate…find the spot and concentrate…"

* * *

There was a resounding thud and Agraelith grinned, "This is more like it."

"Thought you'd enjoy it," Illyath stepped up next to him and tossed his on dagger, it hit right beneath Agraelith's.

"Think I can best you both," a large burly man elbowed between them and took his own shot; it embedded itself so hard in the wood that it took the three of them to pull it out.

"Don't you think it's a bit early to begin drinking?" Agraelith asked as Illyath downed a pint.

"Of course not, and no, you are definitely not having any…any at all…I'd rather not be thrown to the floor and punched in the face by my so called best friend."

Agraelith stared guiltily at a spot on the table. "Ah come on, it was an accident…besides you love me anyways."

"Lucky that I do, I don't know why I stick with you. You've tried to kill me, you've…" He ranted on and eventually Agraelith tuned him out, looking around the room. He had to admit that he was somewhat relieved Carya was not with them, this was not the type of place the night elf would appreciate. Everything seemed dingy and even though it was still early in the day there were a number of ragged men and scantily clad bar maids. One of whom sidled up to their table.

" 'ello there dears," she flicked a dark curl away from her pale face and smiled sweetly at them. "Need anything?" she leaned down and rested her elbows gently on the table, causing Illyath to choke on a mouthful of ale.

* * *

"YES!" Ream leaped into the air as the dagger hit close to the spot he had been aiming for. "I DID IT!"

Carya was grinning, "See, and you were willing to give up."

"Never again," he assured her. "Thank you…"

"You are welcome," she replied as she plucked the dagger out of the tree, sheathing it. They had had enough for one day.

"Not just for that…but for…you know…not letting me give up," his face was sincere and she felt a twinge in her stomach. She, a hardened warrior, was feeling pity for this wealthy youth with his easy life. Something in his eyes however, told her that while his life had been easy, there had been certain…conflicts…she had an idea of who they had been with. A realization came over her, she was a night elf…he was a human…yet they had spent hours together, her teaching and he learning. No conflicts, no fights, only encouragement and happiness.

Her elders had been wrong…so very very wrong.

* * *

Another chapter, whee! Anyways, you know the drill, pweeze update : D they make me happy.

Next chapter: well, some changes from what I was planning but still some of the same things. Illyath's wealth, Agraelith being…unexpected…maybe not in a good way, and a bit of insight into Ream.

Hmm…what do you all think of Ream? Should he join their little group or should he go?

Oh yeah, there will continue to be a little bit of fluff and romance but things should start getting a bit darker as the war approaches…and yes it is approaching…it's just taking a while to get there :-)


	19. Decisions

Another update already? gasp 'tis amazing! This story might actually be getting somewhere :-)

Disclaimer: Don't own anything

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Evening had come, casting the city in a gentle golden hue tinged with pink, it was gentle and serene. The great heat of the day having receded, leaving a comfortable warmth, it seemed perfect. On the surface at least. In the houses lining the emptying streets women were locking the doors and closing the shutters, men polishing their weapons, laying them beside their feet as they ate dinner. Children seemed less affected, but their loud rowdy games had ceased, replaced by quieter ones by the fireside.

It was known to all that a threat was swiftly approaching, yet the king had not disclosed any information. A shadow could be felt pressing upon the gates and all had an idea of what was coming from the tales shared by refugees. One word could be heard whispered around the city. Undead.

A fire was blazing in the hearth; Illyath sprawled in front of it while Agraelith stood above him shaking his head. "Stop it will you?" Illyath snapped, obviously irritated.

"Stop what?"

"All right, so maybe I deserved it but that doesn't mean you have to stand there rubbing it in."

"That was a pretty impressive slap," Agraelith was grinning. With an angry growl Illyath turned on his stomach, trying to rid himself of his friend's amused gaze. He did not find it amusing in the least.

There was a knock on the door and Illyath buried his face in his arms, "You go get that, will you?"

"I do believe this is your house, how about you get it?"

"You're cruel, you know that? But you still owe me so how about you answer it."

Another knock and Agraelith went to the door laughing, but it faded as soon as he opened it. "Erm…who is this?"

Carya stood with Ream in tow; he had a worried expression on his face as he looked up at knight in front of him. Even without armor it was not hard to tell what Agraelith did for a living, and even without armor he was still quite impressive and a bit intimidating. Standing framed in the doorway he seemed huge, broad shouldered and tall with his shaggy hair and handsome face, light shining from behind him. The sword strapped at his waist did not seem to comfort Ream either.

He seemed to shrink behind the elf and she knew that it was a good thing she had brought him; this young man needed a strong taste of reality. "This is Ream; I met earlier today at the lake. May I speak with you for a moment?" Agraelith nodded. "Ream, you can go in, I will be there soon." She noticed his anxious glance and gave him a reassuring smile. Once the door was shut behind him she looked at Agraelith who had a confused and worried expression.

"Carya…um…why exactly is he here? And how exactly did you meet him?" he did not sound mad and thankfully not jealous but was clearly utterly confused.

"I met him at the lake, he caught me by surprise and I pulled the dagger on him…after questioning he asked me if I actually used it…"

"He what?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes, so I taught him how to throw…and I told him I would teach him archery and sword play. However, I think it best if you or Illyath taught him…preferably you."

He sighed, "Maybe its best if he just goes home, you don't even know anything about him."

"I have spent nearly the entire day with him and I am telling you, that boy needs to learn. There is a war coming, everyone know this."

"He does not need to learn. He needs to go back home," Agraelith stated firmly.

"I am not going to give up on him. Besides, he will go home right after we discuss everything."

"There's nothing to discuss," he made a move to open the door but she placed a hand on his arm.

"Please Agraelith," she said softly, "This is important."

Groaning he tried to keep his resolve but it was quickly melting under her gaze, why did she have to affect him like this? "I'll talk to him a bit and we'll see."

"Thank you."

Then he gave her a suspicious look, "And why exactly is it so important to help him?" The kid had been handsome enough, a bit young but then again everyone would be young for the elf. He urged himself to stop; he knew he could trust her.

"His father does not seem to be the encouraging type," she answered at last.

"And do you know his father?"

"No, but I could tell."

He really did not want to do this but if she really thought it was a good idea… "Fine, but I still want to talk with him."

They sat at the kitchen table; Illyath was still lying on his stomach in front of the fire, refusing to get up.

"What's wrong with him?" Carya asked low enough so Ream could not hear.

A smile spread across Agraelith's face, "Licking his wounds I suspect, he ah…let's just say he maid a bar maid a tad unhappy." Raising his voice he addressed Ream, "So, your name is Ream I gather?"

"Yes Sir."

Agraelith nearly chocked on the wine he was currently drinking, it seemed like ages since someone had last addressed him that way. He had to hand it to this kid; he seemed to know exactly how to handle people. "I'm Agraelith, Carya told me that you uh…you wanted to learn some weaponry?"

The boy grinned eagerly, "Yes, I do."

"I'll see if I can help. I used to be a knight…" Used to be…_soon to be again_. "Have you held a sword before boy?"

"No…no Sir I haven't."

"Ever held a bow?"

"No…"

"That I'll let Carya handle, elves are the masters of archery."

This was a tougher case than he had thought; teaching a boy of…what was he? He looked to be around eighteen or nineteen, to use a sword and bow; he himself had started when he was around six or seven. Maybe this was why Carya had wanted to help him so much, he was obviously wealthy, no doubt the product of some wealthy merchant and a woman who came from similar status. There was also no doubt that he had been spoiled rotten.

"Does your father know?" he asked finally.

Silence. _Oh Gods, so this was why Carya wanted to help the kid so bad._

"I take that as a no and I take it that if he did know he wouldn't be thrilled."

"No, he wouldn't," the boy acknowledged. "He…he told me that it was…beneath me…and that there was no need for it when we had our own guards…" he finally admitted.

"But I take it you don't think that way or else you wouldn't be here."

With a fierce look in his eyes Ream looked up, "I think that it's honorable, fighting for what you believe in."

_Fighting for what you believe in…I fought for what I believed in and look what happened to me…_ "One thing you have to learn, fighting…real fighting, in battle, it isn't what anyone thinks. You can't really know what it's like until you get there, until you realize that all the training doesn't matter, what matters is staying alive. So while you may be learning boy, this doesn't mean you should run off and join up in the king's army.In fact, promise me that you won't."

"But why not?"

"You don't understand, it isn't your fault of course," he said raising a hand, "But raised the way you were…I don't think its right for you."

Ream looked like he was about to respond but Carya cut it, "He's right…for the moment at least."

"For the moment? You know as well as I do that—"

"That what? Just because he wasn't raised with a sword in hand doesn't mean that he can't—"

"How about you two stop you're bickering, look, Agraelith will teach you swordsmanship, Carya archer, and I'll give you a taste of some real battle." Illyath had appeared, drawn out of his misery by their heated tones. "Now then, I know you're father and you best be off, tell him you were with me discussing some business, if he asks you what then tell him I put together that guard of his he was needing."

Carya and Agraelith glanced at each other with slight embarrassment; Illyath had suddenly turned into the serious one of the group.

Ream stood, "I guess you're right. Thank you sir…and thank you Carya."

She stood and led him to the door, "Everything will be fine, you can come over tomorrow afternoon."

He looked like he wanted to say something else and she waited. "I um…I have to admit that er…at first I wasn't sure, you being a night elf and all…but I ah…I was wrong."

This took her slightly by surprise; he had managed to hide it fairly well. At least he had admitted it, and besides it did not really bother her. That was the first reaction nearly everyone who encountered her had.

"It is all right, go home now, before you're father starts worrying."

Once he had disappeared into the night she sighed and entered the house. Agraelith was no where to be seen but Illyath was hunched over the table, rubbing his bruised cheek. "So, set up guards for the merchant caravans?" she asked. "Is that how you acquired this?" she gestured around her to all his fineries.

"Sort of…" mumbled. She sat down across from him and pulled a map closer to her. "What are these?" she pointed to the spider web of lines, determined to figure out exactly what Illyath was up to.

"Nothing…"

"Illyath…I want to know." She glared at him and he froze, there was no way he was getting out of it.

"Fine, I set up the guards…and erm…"

"And what?"

"Well you see, when the caravans are attacked we make more money for their protection."

It all dawned on her, Illyath had at one point been a mercenary…and… "Wait…so you set up the guards…then you send mercenaries to attack them."

"Possibly…"

"Is that not a bit low? These are people's lives you're talking about Illyath, how many are killed? How could you…how…" she bit back a scream of all the things to do to make a fortune he had to pick something like this.

"I'm careful, no one's killed…all right…so there have been one or two but they knew what they were getting into when they decided to work for me."

She glared at him; her liking for him had suddenly dropped a considerable amount. He was playing with people's lives, goddess help them. Something else registered in her brain, "When you told Ream that you would give him battle experience…you couldn't possibly mean…ILLYATH!"

He flinched, "Listen to me, it honestly isn't that bad. Most of my money was made in all honesty, but…"

"But you then decide to stage fake attacks to make a bit extra on the side, you are a good for nothing…" she continued to ramble on and Illyath let her. Suddenly she surprised him with, "If he goes then at least let me accompany him."

"WHAT! You sit here and criticize me and tell me it's wrong and then you suddenly want to go!"

She had a guilty expression on her face, "My arrows cry for the air and my sword whispers for the taste of blood. I am a warrior…"

"All right, if you say so. I'll set you up on one that isn't rigged; there's been some word of bands of thieves acting up. You'll have to go soon though if there's a war approaching….what exactly are you planning to tell Agraelith?"

Another pang of guilt, "The truth, he can not stop me."

"Very true, but he'll try and you know he'll be heartbroken."

Heartbroken…the word only added further pain. She did not want to hurt him but he had to understand that she was a warrior at heart; blood was what she had once lived for. True, it had not been her chosen path but it was a part of her none the less…he of all people should understand.

"Where is Agraelith?" she asked at last, looking around.

"He went out, said he had some business to attend to," Illyath said with a shrug. She knew that there was much more to it but if Agraelith wished her to know he would tell her. Even if he did not wish it she would find out when he returned.

Only he did not return, at least not while she was still awake. After waiting for him nearly half the night she finally gave up, determined to talk to him the next morning.

He was sitting at the table, waiting for her it seemed, motioning for her to sit she did so. A feeling of foreboding creeping though her, this was not exactly how she had expected their meeting to be. "Carya…" he started, his voice soft. "Something Ream said last night, about it being an honor to fight for what you believe it…it made me realize something. I was going to do it even before that but it was the final push. Last night after he left, I…I went to see the er…you see…I'm a knight…and I…there was no way around it…coming here…It just didn't feel right if I didn't…" he stopped, knowing that he was not making any sense at all.

"Agraelith?" she asked worried, this was not like him at all.

"I joined the Thal-Morian's knights," he blurted out.

She was still for a moment and then a sudden swelling of emotions rose within her. "You did not even consult me," she spat. "If you truly cared for me you would have consulted me first."

"I had to do it then, it just felt right."

"It felt right not telling me?"

"That isn't what I meant, I knew that it was time, there's a war coming you've said it yourself a million times. I have to do something about Carya, I'm not going to sit by idly and wait," his voice had risen as well.

"But why did you not simply tell me," her eyes were cold as she looked at him head on and he could not keep her gaze.

"I had to do it," he repeated.

"You told Ream you would help him," she said at last.

"I will, he can come to the training grounds. I'm already an experienced fighter, today they're going to evaluate me and then see what happens from there."

"Go then," she stood, "Leave."

"Carya…"

"You are right, it was your own decision and I honor it," she did, she truly did…but a foreboding feeling was working its way inside her as she strode from the room, tears pricking her eyes.

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Not as long not as interesting :-(but things will definitely start picking up. I'm thinking two more chapters and then the war arrives, and after that only a few more chapters before the end. This story is started to get dragged out a bit and I'm not sure how much more you all can take.

Next chapter: Agraelith and army and training Ream. Carya and Ream on their little adventure. Possibly a reconciliation between Agraelith and Carya but it might have to wait.

Please review!


	20. Losing Faith

Not even going to think about how long it's been since my last update…

Disclaimer: Don't own War Craft

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Openness, it cleared her mind and released her soul. The city was behind her, she was back where she belonged, a sword at her side and a bow slung over her shoulder. Rolling her shoulders back she shook her hair loose, releasing it from the stylish twist that she had it in.

It surprised her that the mercenaries seemed to accept her with no prejudice. None had raised a voice against her or Ream when they had joined, although Illyath may have had something to do with that. Even so, the leader of the caravans had posted them in a relatively safe position showing that he had no trust in their skills.

It appeared that while Illyath had assured them they would see battle, he may have been wrong. The days went by slowly, finally Carya managed to convince the caravan driver to allow her to hunt. She took Ream with her; if he could not learn his skill in a battle then he could at least learn something of use.

"You must aim."

"I am aiming," he grumbled.

Carya shook her head, "Then you are not aiming properly, point the bow slightly higher."

Stubbornly he held it in place, "I know I have it."

Humans, they were stubborn creatures. "Try then," she watched as the arrow fell short and the hare darted beneath the ground. "Next time you may find it helpful to follow my directions," smirking slightly she turned and found her own target.

"No way can you hit that, it's not in range," Ream stated smugly.

He was beginning to be a nuisance but she pushed his faults aside, she had to remember how he was raised. Without replying she loosed her arrow and watched as it struck the marten, "Out of range?"

His smugness evaporated and was replaced by awe, "No way, show me how to do that…please Carya?"

"I do believe that I tried, and someone chose not to listen to my advice," grinning at him she rode out to collect her prey.

Despite his occasional arrogant outlook, Ream proved to be quite a quick learner. After a few more hunting trips he managed to bring in his own kill, earning him a spot around the campfire. Carya shifted slightly so that Ream could sit down next to her.

"So boy, heard you got yourself your first deer today."

Ream smiled embarrassed, "Yeah, thanks to Carya, she's the one who trained me you know," he nudged her as his smile broadened.

The man who had spoke nodded his head, "I heard that the night elves are masters of the bow. That true elf?"

"I…I do not know. I would not consider myself a master," Carya knew that she was skilled with a bow, knew that she was better than all of those seated around them. She also remembered what her elders had taught her, that while humans were quick to brag, night elves should not be. It was rude to make yourself appear to be better than others.

"Yer just being modest, fact I bet you could even take me on," he flexed his biceps jokingly. Thoughtfully he proceeded to stroke his short neatly kept beard, "What d'you say?"

"To what?" she asked, looking around at the others. They were all grinning.

"To a fight, no weapons," he stood up, "Just for fun, first to pin the other down wins."

Carefully she sized him up. He was perhaps Agraelith's age and had the advantage of being larger than she. Then again, she could hold her own, she knew she could. Besides, a little bit of fun never hurt anyone. She considered it, her elders would deem it improper…but they were not here and she was no longer part of their clan. What was considered proper night elf etiquette no longer mattered.

"Go on Carya, I know you can win," Ream urged her.

Standing up she removed her sword belt and the dagger she wore strapped to her thigh. "All right."

They made their way to a clear area that was close enough to the fire to see but far enough away to avoid contact with it. "Rules?" she asked, unsure of the human's ways.

"Try not to cause any permanent damage is all," he answered. He stripped off his shirt, the man was pure muscle. She had no worries; she had fought an orc weaponless before. Not that it had been her choice.

Loosely she crouched, waiting for him to make the first move as she knew he would. He rushed towards her and she launched herself at him, catching him off guard. Her body collided with his and, even with her momentum and his momentary surprise, she found herself on her back. It had been like throwing herself at a boulder. Quickly she rolled out of his way and onto her feet, she watched as he ran at her again and this time she let him come. At the last moment she dropped to her knees, suppressing a yelp as his leg collided rather forcefully with her ribs, she was satisfied to see him fall over her.

Throwing herself on top of him she clamped an arm around his neck but he rolled over. His weight was crushing her and she scrabbled at his back, trying to get a knee up.

"Come on Carya!"

Ream, he was counting on her. A picture of Agraelith flickered through her mind; he would be counting on her to. He would have protested if he had been there but she knew that he would have counted on her winning.

She managed to wedge a knee under the small of his back and he groaned, shoving him up and off of her. With all her strength she once more flung herself towards him and slammed him to the ground, pressing a knee below his rib cage she grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head. He lay still and looked up at her with a mix of anger and defeat.

The onlookers erupted into yells.

"You won Carya!"

"Good job night elf!"

"Jaryn, beat by a girl!"

Standing up she felt exhilarated and relieved, reaching down a hand she grabbed Jaryn's and assisted him to his feet.

"Ah what can I say, good job elf girl," he slapped her shoulder.

The fact that she had beaten him so quickly and to the onlookers in a near effortless way, she was afterwards regarded with a sort of respect—one that the mercenaries were not so used to granting to women.

They were a hardened bunch, most bearing scars from their previous exploits. Large, muscled, and obviously skilled they were a group that enemies would be loathe to cross. There were few women among them though they seemed to fit in easily enough.

Once all the excitement had died down Carya found a spot close to the fire and unrolled her blanket, Ream did the same next to her. Quickly they fell into conversation as they had become accustomed to. "Good job tonight Carya, that was amazing."

"Thank you."

He was silent for a moment then spoke hesitantly, "I think…I think that Agraelith would have been proud."

"I think so as well…"

"Do you miss him?"

She missed him. After spending so much time around him she found that away from him it was as if she was alone in a way. "Yes, yes I miss him."

Their parting had been memorable to her, she found herself dwelling on it almost constantly.

_The cathedral had been empty save one person, her footsteps echoed on the stone floor as she approached the alter but he did not turn. The afternoon light filtered through the stained glass, bathing him in different colors._

"_I did not believe you to be religious," she stood behind him, watching him carefully. It had taken her a while to find him._

"_I'm not really…" he answered softly, staring up at the immense golden cross._

_She waited before she spoke again, "But your father was."_

"_Yes…"_

"_He was a Paladin, a knight of your God."_

_His head snapped up but he still did not look at her, "How did you know?"_

"_He and your mother used to take you to church when you were a child…you used to have faith...but it was lost somewhere along the way," her eyes were imploring but still he avoided her gaze, focusing on the high arching ceiling._

"_How…how could you tell?"_

"_I can sense it in your body movements. You seem uncomfortable yet in a way that would be the same as if reluctantly returning to a place you used to love…why did you lose your faith?"_

"_You tell me," finally he turned to look her in the eye._

"_I can not, that is something that only you know. Why Agraelith? What could be so horrible that you lost faith in something you once believed in so firmly?"_

_He ran a hand through his hair, "It was because of the injustice I saw in the world. My father...I lied to you, he didn't die in battle. He was murdered. A warrior of God and he was murdered. That was when I lost faith."_

_Gently she took his hand, "Find it then. Find your faith again Agraelith, because in times like these it is faith that leads one through the darkest of days."_

"_I can't believe that Carya. I can tell you something I can believe in…"_

"_And what is that?"_

"_My self."_

They had left it at that. Both still suppressing the anger they felt for not consulting one another about their decisions, and they had not mentioned it at all.

"You all right?" Ream had turned on his side to face her. "You're awfully quite."

"I am fine, just tired."

"All right then, good night Carya," pulling his blanket up over him he smiled at her before closing his eyes.

"Good night…"

Horses, the sudden pounding of hooves. Grabbing her sword which she had placed beside her that night she leapt to her feet.

"ATTACK!" the man on guard called out but by then the riders were already upon them.

"Ream, it looks as if you might get your battle," she looked down at the boy who was gathering his weapons. "It will be all right, just stay by me."

He nodded nervously and drew his sword. Arrows flew over head and the horsemen poured through, brining their swords down. Carya caught one hard enough to send him flying into the ground; quickly she finished him off before he had a chance to get to his feet. Next to her she felt Ream tense, he was not ready but he would be soon enough.

The feeling that she had during battles soon took over her, she felt calm almost, untouchable in a way. She knew her abilities and she trusted in herself and her goddess. Her movements seemed to happen without her thinking. Deftly she struck her opponents, blocking the sounds of the others from her mind. All the while she was aware of Ream, making sure that no harm came to him. Surprisingly he managed to hold himself quite well.

The battle was over in only a few moments, the would be thieves retreated quickly after they lost nearly half of their already small number.

"All right, let's get this mess cleaned up!" The driver of the caravan yelled.

It took only a few hours out of their schedule to pile the bodies of both horses and men. Completing that one man lit a torch, turning away the rest of them mounted. They did not watch as the bodies slowly began to burn, flames caressing the unnamed faces.

Once they were on their way Carya turned her attention to her companion, "How did you find your first battle?"

He glanced at her, his face pained, "I killed a man Carya…I didn't…didn't think it would affect me so much. I guess I told myself that I would be strong, that I could take it, that I could place it from my mind…but I can't. He could've had a family…"

"It is normal for anyone to feel that way but you will find that it gets easier. He would have killed you had he gotten the chance that is what you must remember. This morning you fought against thieves, men who were going to take what is not theirs and kill those defending it. Is that right? You fought in defense of what is right, remember that as well. There is a difference between fighting for what is right and fighting in a belief that unjust."

"I know, I always imagined fighting against evil though...like the orcs or the undead."

She contemplated this, what had the orc said to her? "You can not classify a person by their race. I was taught humans, all humans, were below us that they were never to be trusted, that they would turn on you if a better opportunity was presented. I was taught never to speak with a human that they were…evil in a way. I was taught that orcs, all orcs, are evil. I was taught wrong. Evil can not be classified; those men who attacked us had evil intentions, just as the orcs who raid and plunder and kill."

Shaking his head he frowned, "But it isn't the same, orcs are all evil…just as all undead are evil…but not all humans are evil."

"Who are you to make that assumption?" He did have a point though; all of the undead were evil.

"So you're saying that there are orcs that are good? You're saying that there are undead who aren't bent on destroying us?" his frustration was evident in his voice.

How could she explain herself? "What of night elves? What were your thoughts on us?"

This seemed to silence him then quietly he began, "I…well…night elves were always a sort of myth to us. Used as a kind of…a warning for kids, like 'don't go into the forest at night, the night elves will come and take you away.' That sort of thing."

It did not quite have the effect on her that he had initially thought it would, instead she began to laugh. "Your parents told you this?"

"Erm…yes," his cheeks flushed.

"But back to my point, I guess that the undead are a different story …they are bred of evil."

"Aren't the orcs and trolls as well?" he asked persistently.

"No, I thought so to at one point. You know the night elves long ago tried to befriend them; we were both considered outcasts in a way. It did not work out as we thought it would and from then on I had the view that you did."

"Then what changed it?"

Thinking back to her conversation with the captive orc she smiled to herself, "One that I met recently. He…he was quite unlike anything I have ever encountered."

"I'll have to meet this orc then when we return."

"Don't think that'll be possible," Jaryn had come up behind them.

Coldly Carya glanced over her shoulder, "And why not?"

He shrugged, "Heard tell the orc was going to be killed in a few days time."

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Umm…yeah, sorry about ending it at an awkward point but hopefully I'll update soon. There'll be a longer battle in the next chapter, and the waris coming up in thechapter after that so things should be moving along. Please read and review! 


	21. Rescue: part 1

I know it took forever but I really do have a legitimate excuse this time: AP exams, graduation, Vet camp in Grenada...no time. But there will definitely be faster updates now because I now have nothing to do. Thank you for sticking with me despite the long waits, I really do appreciate it.

Also, for some reason it won't upload my whole chapter so I tried splitting it up and it uploaded even less of it. I'll try to have the rest of this chapter up later today or tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Don't own it (War Craft).

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"We have to make it back sooner." 

"We can not leave the caravan; we signed a contract stating that we would stay with it from its departure to its arrival back in Thal Morian"

"Come on Carya, what's more important at this point. A caravan or an orc that could tell you something that may possibly be of use in the upcoming war?" Ream hissed.

Of course the answer was the orc was more important, "I know what you are thinking but I have a strong sense of duty and if I commit to something I will not back down from it."

The young man sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Listen Carya…what will it matter in a few days? There's a war coming…when the undead attack no one is going to remember that we left the caravan guard a day before arrival."

She shook her head, "But I will know."

"Look…we leave a day early and the orc lives and you find out some information that could help us. We stay with the caravan and the orc dies and a few days later we're all dead."

Blunt but for the most part it was all the truth. However, she still could not simply leave. Not when she had agreed with Illyath to stay with the caravan the whole way. Though the road seemed safe enough they never knew when another attack might occur. She wanted to be there if one did.

Then again she could not let the orc die. It knew things, things that it should not and that could provide great help in the upcoming battle. The boy was right. It was more important to save the orc then to accompany a caravan already well protected.

"Scouts."

"What?" Carya looked around but even her elf eyes could not spot anything how had the human?

"No…we could request to be sent out with the scouts…then we could ah…you know…go a bit farther ahead then expected."

Luckily Carya had experience with scouting and the master of the caravan was quite willing to let them go. Without feeling too guilty she spurred her horse on, Ream was a little behind her and he struggled to keep up. She pressed on testing him, wanting to make sure that he had the stamina for what was required of a warrior. If the boy truly wanted to prove himself in a real battle, she wanted to make sure that he was prepared first.

He had done surprisingly well in the skirmish that they had encountered. Much better than she had anticipated. Truth be told she had not had much faith in the boy. He was certainly not a natural when it came to weaponry. He seemed awkward with both a bow and a sword. Whether it was because he was not confident enough or because he was simply inadequate he did not seem comfortable, however he had somehow managed to get through all right. She had to respect him for that.

Surprisingly it took them less than a full day before they saw the outline of the city. Sighing audibly at the peaceful scene Carya slowed her horse, Ream following her lead. It would have been decidedly unwise for them to have gone racing towards the gate, not only would it cause undue attention she had a feeling it would have warranted the archers taking aim at them.

The guards let them in without so much as a word, nodding to the night elf. Thankful for the respect she bowed as low as was possible on a horse. For once she had not received the looks that people were so apt to give her. It saddened her to know that when things were finally beginning to look up for her, when she was finally beginning to feel as if she had a home, everything would come crashing down within days. Or hours depending on whether or not they were successful.

Silently praying to her goddess she dismounted, knowing the horse would dutifully find its way back she looped the reins of Ream's horse through hers and let them go. "We must go on foot, we would stand out to much if we rode in on horses."

He nodded, she knew what she was doing and he would follow whatever directions she gave with no complaint. If he had to walk then he would walk.

"Come," she turned down a side street ignoring the beggars as they passed. That was one thing that she would never be used to. The idea that people would be reduced to such poverty that they seemed almost sub-human in a way. That people spit on their own kind rather than helping them. Had she any gold on her she would have given them some but at the moment she carried nothing. Nothing but her clothes and her weapons, that was all she needed.

The streets were still fairly busy despite the dark that was beginning to envelope them, making it easier to slip through all but unnoticed. Carefully she assessed the situation and grabbing Ream's arm dragged him quickly around a corner. "Go to Illyath, tell him what is happening. Tell him to meet me at the inn. If he knows where Agraelith is then…never mind."

Her pretense was that she did not wish to bother him. In reality she did not want to face him. Leaving without speaking of their disagreement had caused the anger to fester within her and she had no doubt within him as well. "Just get Illyath, his help will be enough."

As the darkness deepened she found a deserted alley and closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she felt the familiar warmth and power wrap itself around her. The magic surged and spilled as if excited to be finally put to use. Walking unseen through the streets she found the inn and entered, carefully avoiding people. There in the corner, that was what she had been looking for.

"Tomorrow morning correct?"

"Yes, about time. I've hated having that thing around…doesn't do any one any good."

"I'm glad they finally chose to keep it somewhere safer, somewhere out of sight. Who wants to look at the scum?"

What? Where had they moved him to?

"Isolation will do him some good…things he's witty or something. Won't shut his blasted mouth."

Having heard enough she exited as quietly as she had arrived. Waiting on the steps she stood aside when anyone approached. Running into something solid when there was seemingly nothing there would be unsettling to say the least. She had a feeling that with the jumpy state of things there would be cries of witch or some other nonsense.

The moon had risen by the time Ream arrived with a very confused and ruffled looking Illyath in tow. For the first time since she had known him he seemed completely disheveled and almost scared.

Looking around to make sure no one besides them would see she allowed the moonlight to wash over her and the magic release its smooth grip. "Illyath?"

"Good to see you again Carya," he embraced her then pushed her back. "Now what exactly is going on? All I got out of him was something about the orc being sentenced to death?"

She nodded and motioned for them to follow her, "I'll explain on the way."

Ream stood his place looking decidedly uncomfortable, "I'll uh…I'll catch up with you."

For a moment she debated on whether or not he was going to turn them in but she trusted him, "All right. Meet us by the prison, we'll come to you."

The boy nodded and watched them as they began walking away; occasionally Carya glanced back worriedly at him. Once hey had turned the corner and were out of sight he ran into the inn. Finding the nearest man who resembled a soldier he tapped him on the back. The man turned slightly irritated but his look softened when he saw the boy's franticness.

"Need something boy?"

"Agraelith, do you know a man named Agraelith?"

The man nodded, " 'Course I do, you looking for him?"

Ream nodded praying that he wouldn't take to long to reach. "Yes, it's rather important."

"As far as I know he should be at the barracks. Just follow the road—" Ream was gone before the man could finish. He knew the town well enough and it was a long way to run.

Skidding into the plain wooden door he took a step back rubbing his shoulder, panting. Knocking hurriedly he waited, fidgeting he rocked from one foot to the other, turning occasionally to look over his shoulder.

He did not care that Carya had told him not to get Agraelith. He knew that she needed him and he knew that whatever had passed between them needed to be settled. He had a feeling that it was petty whatever it was. Knocking again he ran a hand through his hair. He hoped that Carya and Illyath would wait for him.

They would try to manage it themselves if he did not arrive soon. While he had no doubt of what she and Illyath were capable of he had a feeling of foreboding. There was something more to what was happening and he had a sinking feeling that Agraelith would be needed. He could not be late. He could not.

Finally the door opened and a grimy guard stepped out, "What d'you want boy?"

"Please sir, I must speak with Agraelith. I was told that he may be here."

"You heard right, just a moment…"

A moment turned into a few minutes which turned into more. Nearly sobbing Ream considered leaving without him. Thankfully Agraelith's large frame soon filled the doorway. It took all the restraint the boy had to hug the man. "Hurry," he took off in a run and was relieved to hear Agraelith following.

"What is it? Ream? Is it Carya?" he easily matched Ream's stride.

"They've gone to free the orc," he choked for breath but continued, "Carya and Illyath. She heard they're putting it to death."

Cursing under his breath Agraelith picked up the pace. They had to get there fast. Half the town's militia was guarding the damn thing. He knew that Carya could handle it; he knew that Illyath could get them through, but he also knew that there was no way they would be able to get out.

Why had she not come to get him first? Did she think that he would not help her, just because he had been angry…

They made it to the prison but neither Carya and Illyath could be seen. "Where are they supposed to be?"

"Carya said they would meet me here."

Agraelith groaned the elf was the most headstrong person he had ever met. "We'll wait a bit longer."

They stood in silence. Both too rapped up in their own thoughts to talk. Neither Carya nor Illyath appeared and Agraelith cursed again, this time out loud. Ream looked surprised at the knight's outburst.

"Come on boy, we're going."

As silently as they could manage it they approached the prison.

"Are you sure we shouldn't have waited?" Illayth glanced at his companion. She shook her head and put a finger to her lips. Signaling to him she slipped into the darkness.

As casually as he could Illyath approached the door and knocked on it, when it opened he leaned against the doorjamb causing the guard to move over slightly so he was directly in front of him.

"Yes?"

"Good evening my dear sir, I was wondering if you ah…mistakenly picked up one of my men?"

The guard narrowed his eyes, "And you are?"

"Illyath…I erm…you know," he winked at the guard.

"Oh, the one who hires out the mercenaries?"

Wincing Illyath shook his head, "I wouldn't quite put it that way, but back to business…any chance you might've taken in one of my boys?"

The guard shrugged, "C'mon in, not sure but I can always check."

Illyath could not help but grin as the door clicked shut behind him. He was doing what he was best at.

Carya looked around trying to figure out which passage would lead to the isolated cells. Picking one she went down it, turning back when she heard the shouts of a rowdy bunch of men. Not that way.

Picking another she followed it but it only led to the break room. How many halls were there? Finally she chose one that led down a set of stairs. As the air became colder and stilled her senses sharpened. There was noise at the bottom but it was faint. There was a group of people but she had a feeling that she was going the right direction. She hoped Illyath would be ready.

Agraelith led Ream around the back, he had a feeling that Illyath had managed to waltz right in the front door. He had the annoying habit of being able to pull those sort of stunts off, Agraelith however was not lucky. That was what back entrances were for.

Knowing that there would be guards on the inside he silenced Ream and stood to the side as he rapped softly on the door. As soon as it swung open he hit the guard with a gauntleted fist while a surprised Ream took out the second.

"Good job," Agraelith mouthed and flicked his finger for the younger man to follow.

The torch light was dim and they had an easy enough time slipping past the various guards. It was a matter of where to go next. He had heard that the orc had been moved to isolation, that would be a good place to start.

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Sorry it ended there, I promise there's more...it's already written, it just needs to be uploaded. 


	22. Rescue: part 2

YES! It uploaded correctly :-) Here's the second part!

Disclaimer: Don't own War Craft

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The torch light was dim and they had an easy enough time slipping past the various guards. It was a matter of where to go next. He had heard that the orc had been moved to isolation, that would be a good place to start.

They were ready to move when he heard voices.

"Yes sir, you were right. We did pick up one of yours."

"Really? What exactly did he do?"

"Thievery. That sort of thing."

"Ah, well…is there any chance of me getting him out?"

"Not so sure about that, the man needs to learn a lesson…serve out a sentence."

"Oh, well…that's a pity isn't it?"

"Sorry sir, but there's nothing I can do."

"Mind if I ah…go talk to the thief?"

"If you must sir, I'll take you to him."

Illyath followed the guard down the hall, all the while he was trying to get his bearings. Hall…door…hall…door to stairs…hall…Agraelith…Ream…wait. He did a double take. Sure enough Agraelith and Ream were pressed against a wall watching him. So that was where the boy had gotten to. Smart kid, he was very impressed.

Giving a quick flick of the wrist to acknowledge them he continued on his way. Once the rounded the corner he hit the guard with as much force as he could muster. Satisfied that the guard would be out for a while he dragged him to a cell and nudged him in, shutting the door he felt satisfied as he heard the lock click into place.

He joined Agraelith and Ream. "Glad you joined us my friends…and what exactly are we doing now?"

"Where's Carya?"

"She went to find the orc, I do believe she went through there," he pointed to the doors that led to the stairs. "I saw it open and shut…didn't open again so I'm assuming she's still down there. Shall we join her?"

"Damn her," Agraelith hissed.

"Er, care to explain the outburst?" Illyath rarely heard his friend curse, when he did it was because something was about to go very very wrong.

"Half of the militia is down there, there's no way she can get the orc out. There's no way _we_ can get the orc out."

"I'm glad to know you have so much faith in us. I assure you that it is not impossible," Illyath looked around but his hope was plunging, maybe it was impossible. But they had no choice.

"Will you stop with your…your optimism? Sometimes things can't be done!"

"How about we stop discussing it and do it," Illyath rolled his eyes and headed towards the door. Putting his ear against it he was reached by silence. "I think everything is okay for the moment. Come along."

Pushing the door open he began creeping down the stairs. For a moment Agraelith hated him. Hated him and the elf. They were the same in some ways. Neither of them seemed to sense the danger of situations and if they did they did not seem to care. He had to admit that for the most part Carya had seemed very wary and contemplative but recently it seemed she had become less so. Maybe it was because she was more comfortable in his world than she was. Maybe this was the real Carya. A willful and compulsive woman he had no fear of what was to come.

Carefully Carya slipped by all the armed men and approached the cell. Reaching her arm through the bars she squeezed the orcs arm gently. He tilted his head to let her know that he knew of her presence but in a way that did not give the guards a reason to be suspicious. This was going to be more difficult than she had imagined. It looked as if half the town was there.

Seeing the keys on the guard nearest to her she reached out then hesitated. Someone was bound to see a floating key. How was she supposed to do this? Sitting down she leaned her head against the bars. This was beginning to seem impossible.

"Courage little elfling," the whisper was near her ear and she looked over her shoulder at the orc. He was sitting with his back to her. Reaching her arm once more through the bars she rested her hands on his.

"I do not know what to do…" she whispered.

"I can be of no help to you my darling; I have no idea what you can do either."

She waited for what seemed like eternity, trying to put together a plan. Nothing was coming…nothing was…wait, someone was coming.

Illyath strode purposefully into the room. "Hello all, glad that you have all volunteered your time to guard this…thing." He walked through the group and gazed at the orc with seeming disgust. "I am going to have to ask you all to leave for a moment as I examine the creature."

The guard with the keys stared at him, "Who are you?"

"Why, did they not tell you that I was arriving? My name is Theilan and I was sent from the king. I was told that this orc may be ah, hiding something."

"I've no knowledge of such a visit."

"Check it with your superiors if you must," Illyath sniffed in disdain, "I don't have all night good sir."

Giving each other uneasy looks the men bowed and left, the guard with the keys following soon after.

"Thank you," Carya stood up, keys in hand. Unlocking the door she helped the orc to his feet, "Hurry."

She turned to Illyath, "How much time before they come back?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Agraelith had appeared before them, a body in tow. He dragged it into the cell. "Hurry and help me with the others."

Carya found that she could not move. All she could do was stare at him. He seemed even more handsome than he had when she had last seen him. The exercise that the training put him through was doing him good. But what was he doing there? Ream, of course. That was why he had looked slightly guilty.

"Agraelith?" her voice came out more as a whisper and he looked to where she was standing.

"Carya?"

She realized that he could not see her, "Yes, I am here." She remained invisible not wanting to reveal herself until they were all safe.

Stumbling out into the night they stood for a moment. "Where are we going?" Illyath asked, "We can't go back to my place…we can't go anywhere with the orc…"

"They'll be looking for us as soon as the guards wake up and raise the alarm."

"Agraelith punch me," Illyath turned to his friend.

"What? No!"

"Please? You did it once before."

"I was drunk."

"Just do it!"

"Why?"

Illyath sighed, "Because, if you punch me then leave me back in a cell it won't look like I had anything to do with it. I was the only one anyone actually saw so they'll be coming for me."

"But you gave all the guards a fake name and fake story, they'll be looking for you anyways."

"They'll be fuzzy enough that I'm sure I can get out of it. If you do this then you can go back to my house. There's a place that you can hide if they do for some reason decide to search it. Now punch me!"

Carya, Agraelith, Ream and the orc found themselves scrunched into a rather tiny closet like space. Not exactly comfortable.

"Agraelith…I would like to apologize for overreacting…and for not telling you what I was planning."

"No need to apologize," he said gruffly. The elf was half on top of him and he had to try his hardest not to kiss her in front of the orc and the boy.

"Where is Star?" she asked suddenly.

"Oh, she's out back. You didn't tell us that she'd reach the size of a small horse so fast."

Carya smiled, so the cat had finally reached her growth spurt, she could not wait to see her.

"How long are we going to be crammed in here?" Ream groaned.

"Be patient child," the orc said softly.

They waited for who knew how long. The door suddenly swung open and they practically tumbled out to find an amused looking albeit bleeding Illyath staring down at them. "Nice to know you guys bonded while I was gone."

"What happened?" Agraelith asked the question first.

"Nothing really, they just asked me some questions, I managed to talk the militia into believing that they imagined me coming down there. We're all off the hook. Although you might want to go back to the barrack's and make up some excuse of why Ream was so intent on finding you and why you were gone."

Agraelith glanced at Carya, he was sure he could come up with a good alibi.

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Next chapter should be up soon :-) 


	23. In Flames

Another update :-)

Disclaimer: I don't own War Craft…

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Agraelith gently kissed the back of her neck and wrapped his arms around her. He could not even begin to describe how much he had missed her. "So my little elf, glad to be back?"

She turned her head slightly so she could look up at him, "Yes, but I am afraid it is not for long."

His smile disappeared, "What do you mean not for long?"

"I mean that we must get back to the caravan…"

"Illyath is in charge of the guards, he'll be able to take care of it," part of Agraelith admired her integrity while the other part simply could not believe what he was hearing.

"I know that, but they sent us out as scouts. We will seem unreliable…" she trailed off realizing that Agraelith was still set on the fact that Illyath would set things straight.

"Please Carya, just stay…"

They heard banging on the door downstairs and a moment later Illyath shouted for Agraelith. Groaning the knight rested his head on her shoulder before straightening. "Looks as if I'm being summoned," he said sardonically.

Carya hugged him, "Do not look so saddened."

They found Illyath and a stony faced man standing by the door. "Agraelith," the man bowed his head slightly, then raised his eyebrows. "I was told that a boy came looking for you, said that it was urgent," he looked from Agraelith to Carya, "I can ah…I do believe I understand."

Feeling her face flush she spoke, "I needed to speak with him, it was rather important…"

"Then one thing erm…led to another…and well…"

The man shook his head, "No no, there is no need to explain. Though I must remind you Agraelith that as you are still in training you are not permitted to spend nights away from the barracks."

Agraelith looked at Carya uncomfortably, "I'll…I'll be there momentarily."

The man bowed once more and exited.

Once the door had shut Agraelith reached for her hand, "I'm sorry Carya, but I can't…I can't stay."

She stared at him, "_You _cannot stay? You had to have known that you were not permitted to stay nights away from the barracks…yet you were telling me that I _had_ to stay. That I could not go back to the caravan when it is my duty and yet you knew you had to leave."

"Carya, I didn't know!" he protested, realizing what an idiot he had been. He had known of course, he just had not been thinking. All he could think about was how glad he was that he was able to be near her again.

"You did know Agraelith. How could you not?" she turned away from him and ran a hand through her hair. He was controlling, that was what it was. He wanted to be in control, he could not stand it when she did something that was of her own choosing. Knowing that she was being irrational she could not help it. She felt her anger rising again, how could one man infuriate her so much? How could she love him so much…

"I forgot all right? All I could think about was us being together, especially after how we parted ways last time," he grabbed her shoulders but she shrugged him off.

"Just go, you told them you would only be a minute," without waiting for a reply she strode from the room, cursing herself. She was afraid and she would never admit it. She was afraid of loving him and found it easier to keep pushing him away. She took the opportunity to push him whenever a situation presented itself. It was probably true that he had only forgotten, in fact she knew it was true.

Why did things have to be like this, so complicated. For once in her life she wished that she had not been born a night elf. For once in her life she wished that she could feel what it was like to be human. To feel what it was like to taste mortality.

If she had learned one thing it was that humans thirsted for immortality, to live forever. Here she was in want of the opposite, it was not that she wanted to die…it was the fact that then she would not have to feel scared. Scared of living for eternity when Agraelith had been born doomed as all humans had.

Not only that but she wanted to feel what it would be like to have been born free. To not have been born chained to the knowledge that she was an outcast of the world. Not to have been born with no choices of what she wanted to do. She had been born into a life of weaponry and war. A life where choices had been made for her.

Not until she left had she had any say in her life. Perhaps being exiled was one of the greatest things that had happened to her. She was just now beginning to see it.

Sighing deeply she sank into a chair. She had driven him away yet again with frustration and fear. How was it that she could feel so conflicted.

"Everything all right Carya?" Illyath had taken the seat across from her.

"Yes…no…I do not know. For once in my life I do not know."

"I know something…listen, I care for you but Agraelith has been my friend for far longer. I don't know why but you seem to be having problems every time you talk with each other. If you don't mind me inquiring…what the hell is going on!" he snapped.

She fidgeted in her seat, "I just, he makes me so angry sometimes. First he tells me I have to stay, that I cannot go back to the caravan. Then he is the one who has to leave."

"Yes but I warrant there's something more going on then that."

"I…Illyah, I am…scared," she could not believe that she had finally admitted to it.

He stared at her for a moment then started to laugh, "You? You, scared?"

When she did not make a move to say anything his laughter abruptly stopped, "Wait, are you being serious? Did you, a night elf, just admit to being scared. You just admitted it to me?"

"Yes, it is not the first time…"

"But it's the first time you've ever admitted you were scared about being in a relationship."

She scowled, "This is the first 'relationship' I have been in."

"Oh. So what are scared about? Agraelith won't bit…well…okay, so he may but that's besides the point." Seeing her face he stopped, "In all seriousness, why are you so afraid?"

"You know why Illyath, you warned him."

"I…what?"

"I am not human, I have a 'gift' as you humans like to refer to it."

He looked thoughtful, "Ah, you mean you're afraid because well…let's just say that we won't be living quite as long as you."

"Yes, I had thought of it before of course…but…I find myself loving him more and all I want to do is push him away from me. I do not want…I do not want the hurt that I know is coming."

"Listen to me Carya, I can't tell you what to think or do. But I can tell say this, you don't want to live your life in fear. You want to live it to the fullest and if that means making some risks then so be it," he shook his head, "Besides, with the war coming who knows if we'll even be here in the next month? You aren't invincible as well are you?"

She shook her head, he was right. Who knew, with the war coming Agraelith could outlive her. "Thank you Illyath."

"You my dearest are very welcome. You know, I have a question for you now."

"Yes?"

"Why is it that you would choose Agraelith over my most handsome and wonderful self?"

"Illyath?"

"Yes?"

"I honestly do not believe you want me to answer that."

Ream was stretched out on the floor in front of the fire, much as Illyath was so prone to do. Nudging the sleeping boy with her foot, Carya wished that she could do the same. Sleep would be much better then riding through the night. "Ream?"

"Hmm?" he murmured.

"We need to be going now," she knelt down next to him, "We have to get back to the caravan."

He groaned, "I was hoping you had forgotten."

Laughing gently she prodded his shoulder, "Come on, up you go."

Rolling his eyes he sat up, "If we really must."

"Yes we must, we told him we wished to be scouts and he so kindly let us. We cannot simply disappear on him, how do you think that will look?"

"Was saving an orc not enough? Where is it anyways?"

"He is still in hiding; it is too dangerous for him to go wandering about the house. Now quit stalling, we must be going."

They were soon on their way, both wanting nothing more than to be back at Illyath's house in a proper bed. "I thought I heard you and Agraelith arguing again," Ream began nonchalantly. "So, erm…I take it you guys are still having some problems?"

"I suppose you could say that," she snorted. Still having problems…when would the problems end? When would she finally be able to come to terms with it and stop trying to find a way out of what she truly wanted?

"What was it this time?"

She knew that she did not have to answer it; he would have understood had she not. For some reason though she was tired of keeping things to herself. "He told me not to leave when he knew that he was going to."

"What?"

"Exactly."

Ream pondered this for a moment, "I don't think he meant anything by it…he probably forgot."

She shrugged, suddenly wishing that she had not said anything.

Thankful when they finally saw the lights of the caravan her relief soon turned to panic. "Ream," she hissed pointing towards the flames. The caravan itself was on fire.

"What do we do?" he asked frantically.

Drawing her sword she dismounted, "You do nothing for now."

Walking in unnoticed she scanned the grounds. A small battle was being waged around her. The guards were unsuccessfully trying to fight off what looked like a group of very large people…no…trolls. Goddess help them.

Glad that she was able to move unseen she began attacking, once she had taken one down the ones closest to her began to look wary. She struck again, and again. Suddenly they were in an uproar over the unseen attacker. The guards too seemed uneasy. No matter, she could bring the battle back under control.

Again she struck and again, slashing them from behind, stabbing them, watching as they fell under her blade. They were bigger than her, much bigger but her advantage of being unseen proved to make killing easy. They were not the smartest of the bunch and the silent killing was throwing them into a panicked frenzy allowing the guards to once more gain the upper hand.

She felt a power that she had not felt in a long time. For once she was completely in control, nothing could touch her. Nothing could—

Wincing as she landed flat on her back she rolled out of the way before a rather large foot came crashing down on her. One had gotten lucky; staying on the ground she touched her hand to its leg. _Fire …goddess give me the strength…flames consume this evil…_

It was always harder to use magic offensively; it was harder to kill with it then to heal. Willing it with all her soul she concentrated, feeling the rough skin beneath her hand. It attempted to move, to shake off the invisible force. She held him with her mind and her magic. _Burn_. Focusing her rage she willed the fire to come. It erupted from her, consuming the creature. It shrieked with pain and fright, the knowledge that death was near. By the goddess did she feel powerful.

Everyone stopped, time seemed to stop. The remaining trolls and the guards turned to stare. They had seen nothing like it. One moment the troll had been stumbling around, the next it was being consumed by flames.

Shrieking with anger the rest of the trolls turned and fled, but not before one more was caught by the spell. Once they were gone from view Carya gave a sigh and allowed her self to reappear.

The humans stared at her in wonder and a little fright, "We…we thought you'd abandoned us," one of them stated.

"Ream and I…we were held up," she gasped for air. Flames still reflected in her eyes and one of the men leaned down to help her up.

"I can't say I've ever seen anything like that."

They were staring at her in awe but she to busy concentrating on remaining conscious. She had never learned to master her dark magic as some could. Lyra had once commented that it was because it was so powerful, so raw.

Ream had pushed his way through the crowd, "My God Carya…I had no idea…no idea…"

She was thankful when they finally left her in peace. Ream laid her blanket out and she sank down on it, falling immediately to sleep.

As the men put the flames of the caravans out they could not help but glance over at her. None of them, not one, had had any idea of the power she held.

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The war is coming up soon!

Please review, I'd really appreciate it.


	24. Chaos

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own War Craft…made up some of the characters though…

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A splitting sensation in her head and aching in every single muscle greeted her as she opened her eyes. Biting her lip to keep from crying out she took a deep breath and sat up. Grabbing her head with her hands she closed her eyes trying to keep the dizziness at bay.

"You all right?"

His voice sent splinters straight through her head and she tried to remember what exactly had caused such pain. Flames. Fire. Searing power licking at her fingertips. The magic. She had let it consume her in a way that she had never felt before. It had bubbled up from her very soul so uncontrolled and wild. So powerful.

She had loved it. Loved the feeling of the sense of spinning out of control, loved the feeling as the trolls burst into flames. She lusted for it. Never before had she wanted something so much, that feeling of magic surging through her unchecked. Even with the repercussions she wanted it.

If she could only learn to control it then she would not feel this way afterwards. She could control it; she knew that she could if she tried. All she needed was another opportunity.

"I am fine," she answered at last.

Slowly she drew her hands away and opened her eyes, the sun burned into them unforgivably but she did her best to ignore it. Allowing Ream to help her up she staggered forward before steadying herself. The world was slowly coming into focus and she looked around.

The caravans were being hastily patched up; luckily they had been carrying back a small shipment of lumber. She walked over to the workers and picked up the other end of a board that a man was attempting to lift into place. He looked over at her in thanks but upon seeing who it was gave a tight, nervous smile.

"That was ah, that was something last night," his low-pitched voice did nothing to conceal the fact that he was uncomfortable.

"Yes," she answered shortly. She wished that they would just forget about it. Right when they had been beginning to accept her she had thrown them back into a panic. "How long do you believe this will take?"

"We're only fixing the necessary parts, perhaps another half hour?"

Another half hour and they would be on their way again. "And how long until we arrive in Thal-Morian?"

He looked towards the sky, "I would say by tomorrow morning. It would be faster without all this," he motioned towards the stretching wagons.

She nodded; she knew exactly how long it would take without the wagons. She also had the feeling that they had no idea that she and Ream had been back to the city. It needed to stay that way. As long as everyone thought they had been held up while out scouting then there was no way they could be connected to the disappearance of the orc. "Are you ready to get back?" she asked out of necessity, the silence had been unnerving.

"Seeing my wife and little one is something I always look forward to," he gave her a genuine smile and she could feel them both relaxing. Still holding the board while another man began hammering it in place he continued talking to her, "What about you, any one in particular you're looking forward to seeing. Or are you and Ream…"

She laughed, "No, I suppose you could say that I am Ream's mentor. The boy had never held a bow before I met him."

The man's eyes widened in surprise, "You've done an excellent job with him then. You still didn't answer my question though," he winked at her. "Pretty thing like you, surely you've got someone waiting?"

Hesitating she thought about it, did she have someone waiting…or were her final scathing words to much for him… "No," she said at last. She did not feel like explaining it all to a stranger. A simple straightforward answer was easier.

"That's all right, you aren't alone though are you?" he asked, suddenly realizing that she was a night elf. Admittedly the first time he had met her he had been suspicious. He had never heard of a night elf entering human lands before, there had to be a reason why one was there now. The more he had seen of her though the more he had gotten used to her. And the more he had realized that there was little difference between elves and humans. It would be a pity if she felt isolated and alone.

"I have friends, yes. You know Illyath correct?"

The man grinned, "Of course I do, he's the one who set me up with this blasted job. It figures that he would take you in; he pretends that he's rough and heartless but I know that he isn't. A bit ruthless at times but definitely not heartless."

She had to agree, Illyath was anything but heartless. The man had taken an orc into his own home and had put his own life and reputation at risk for it. He was someone to be admired. Well…maybe not _admired _but he definitely had redeeming qualities.

Once the board was firmly in place they dropped their arms, she smiled at him. "It was nice to meet you..." she trailed off realizing she did not know his name.

"Ephram," he offered with a smile.

The caravan was back underway before the sun had risen to the noon mark. It seemed that either people had already forgotten about her role in the night before or they just preferred to forget about it. No one commented on it though they did talk to. They were companionable conversations, teasing and joking to pass the time. She was glad for it; it distracted her from the fact that she had taken such pleasure in power. It was not just that however, for the first time among a group of humans she actually felt welcome, she felt as if she were part of something.

Ephram had been right and the next morning they rolled slowly into Thal-Morian, but not to the welcome they had expected. Chaos. That was the only word she could find that could describe what she was seeing.

The guards were crawling everywhere as were the milita. Knights were seen on their massive warhorses exiting the gates, craning her neck Carya tried to see if Agraelith was among them. How could things have happened so quickly since she had last left?

The banner of Thal-Morian was flying high above the guard towers, unfurled in a proud show of colors. The emblazoned gryphon seemed to come alive in the morning light as the wind gently lifted it into flight.

"Has the war started already?" Ream asked nervously, sidling up next to her.

She shook her head; if the war had started they would never have made it to the gates. "Not yet Ream, but soon it looks like."

There were murmurs among the mercenary guard, if war was upon them they too would be called to battle. Not out of duty but out of honor. This was a battle against pure evil, a battle for there lives, for everything they believed in. It was believed that mercenaries had no honor, that they fought for the highest bidder without a thought of morality. Now however they were ready to prove themselves.

Carya scanned the skies half expected to see their feathered prophet, he was no where to be seen. Had he abandoned them to their plight? His words echoed harshly in her mind and she groaned inwardly. She and Agraelith, according to the old prophet's words it was their bond that would get them through the upcoming battle. For whatever reason the outcome rested on them…which was not a comfort to her. Their relationship had formed a crack and she wondered if it could be repaired in time.

It was her fault, she knew that it was. She had pushed him and pushed him, she worried that perhaps this time it was cliff that she had pushed him off of.

Once the caravan was safely returned and the mercenaries paid they looked around at each other uneasily.

Jaryn was the first to break the silence, "Well, I suppose we should go see what all the fuss is about."

They all tried to avoid looking at one another. They already knew.

Grabbing Ream's arm she was getting ready to pull him away when she saw Ephram, his head hung in defeat.

He looked up as she approached and tried to smile at her, "I just got back, and now I find myself about to enlist in a war. How do I tell that to my wife? How do I look my little girl in the face again and tell her that I might never come back?"

"You don't. You look her in the face and tell her that you must leave because you wish to protect you. You tell her that you leave because you wish to have the opportunity to watch her grow up in a free world," she grasped his shoulder. "Your wife will understand. It is a time of war, everyone is involved in this. When you ride we all ride beside you. This whole city will be there beside you."

Sharply he glanced at her, "You too are going?"

"I am a night elf, I was born for war," she replied.

"It is strange to me to think of it. I suppose we put our women on pedestals most of the time."

Carya shrugged and grinned, "No one would put me on a pedestal."

He laughed, "I suppose not."

She once again took hold of Ream's arm, "I will hopefully see you again Ephram," she told him before dragging Ream away.

"What's the rush?" Ream tried to slow down but she kept pulling him.

"Look around, there is a war coming and we must prepare."

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?"

She skidded to a halt with an incredulous look, "You are going back to your parents. I am going to find out exactly what is going on."

He wrenched his arm from her grip, "My parents?"

"Yes, you are far too young to be involved in this."

"But what you just said to Ephram! We're all involved, me included. I'm old enough to fight, I've proved that!"

By the gods, she should have known this was coming. "Ream, this isn't a skirmish this is war against the undead."

"Exactly, I want to fight them!" he hissed.

Shaking her head she stood her ground, "No, this is far to dangerous and I will not have you involved in it."

"What about you then?" he snapped.

"What about me?" her patience was beginning to wear thin.

"You're a woman, why should you get to fight and I can't?"

Sucking in her breath she tried to control her temper. Humans and their ways, she would never understand them. "I've explained it to you. Night elf women are warriors, for thousands of years we have fought in battles and I intend to fight in this one."

"Have you been in a war before?" he looked clearly confident that the answer was going to be no.

"Of course I have," she snapped. "I watched as my best friend died."

He looked taken aback, "I…sorry…I didn't know."

"Of course you couldn't have. Now as I said, you are going back home with your parents where you belong. You have improved tremendously but you are not ready for a battle such as this. Even I do not know if I'm prepared."

"Yet you fight anyways, so why shouldn't I?"

She put her hands on his shoulders, "Ream please just listen to me, this war is not for you. Maybe someday you will have your own battle to fight but please Ream, stay out of this one."

"But Carya, I want to fight alongside you. I want to fight for what I believe in!"

She never should have decided to help him in the first place; she knew that this would happen. "Go home," she said sternly. Then softening slightly she pulled him into a tight hug.

"If I never see you again, I just want to say thank you," he murmured.

She pushed him back, "Of course we will see each other again."

"Sometimes people don't come back from war…" he could not meet her eyes.

"I promise you that we will see each other again. The war is not here yet, it will not be here tomorrow either…there is still time yet," she smiled encouragingly at him but still he looked away.

"But what if you don't come back?" he asked at last.

"I can not promise you anything…look at me," she said softly. Searching his eyes she went on, "But I can promise you that we will see each other again before the war is ended."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You must have hope…as long as you believe in it then hope will always be there."

He looked down, "I believe there is hope," he said at last.

"Good, then go now."

"May your goddess be with you," he said.

At his words she felt a deep sense of gratitude, "Thank you. Now go on," she gave him a small push and he began pushing his way through the throng of people. He looked back at her and she waved to him, unsure if he could see her through the crowd.

When he had been swallowed by the people she turned and began to make her own way home. Home. This was her home now and by the gods and goddesses would she do everything in her power to keep it that way. Thal-Morian would stand, the gryphon would not fall, she would see to it that it was so.

Hoping that she could keep her silent vows she finally found herself at Illyath's door. Knocking on it she prayed that he was home, nearly laughing from relief when it swung open.

"Good, I was waiting for you," he ushered her in. "The whole city has gone mad, everyone is in a panic."

She nodded, "So I saw. What exactly is going on?"

"What's going on you ask? This is what is going on. First off there was the whole fact of the orc going missing and talk of black arts and the like. That of course set some people off. Then word came that the undead army had attacked a town not to far from here, completely leveled it. As in there's nothing left at all, just a burnt smear. No survivors, nothing."

"No survivors? But who—"

"Your dear prophet friend brought word," his face was grim.

"He was here?"

"Oh yes, caused quite a stir. Landed in the blasted courtyard and changed back to his doddering old self. Then proceeded to yell until all the proper authorities came, of course they tried to put him in the stocks for blasphemy or heresy or whatever the like. Of course they couldn't get near him and he started spouting his prophesies and going on about how if we don't unite with our enemies, the orcs and night elves, then we're all going to die," Illyath was shaking his head as if he still could not believe it.

"Did he say anything else?"

"Of course he did, basically he told us that we have less then a week to get our act together before the undead arrive. Arthas included."

So it was true. The orc had been telling the truth, her heart sank. Arthas was coming for her, but why? Why was she so important to him, surely it was not just because she was a night elf.

"And that my dear is why the city has turned to utter chaos. Of course the knights are assembling and the foot soldiers and every one else. Even the elves seem to have lost some of their conceit, no not the night elves. High elves, free elves, or whatever they are."

She nodded, it was beginning. If the elves were beginning to sense it then it was no doubt true that there was a battle soon to come.

"I need a blacksmith," she said suddenly.

"Why?"

"I need proper armor and more arrows. Star may need armor as well."

Illyath stared at her, "Did you say Star may need armor?"

"Yes, it is not typically used of course but I am sure that some could be made for her."

"You mean, that cat is going into battle?"

"I had heard that she was quite large now."

"Well, yes but…"

Carya spoke as if he was completely dense, "Believe me Illyath, that cat may just save your life."

"All right then," he still seemed skeptic. "There's an excellent blacksmith who should be able to have armor ready for you in time."

"Wonderful, can we go now?"

Illyath looked uncomfortable. "Well you see…there may be a slight problem with that."

"What is it?"

"He's a erm…well..you know…" he trailed off listlessly. Maybe he should have never brought it up.

"He's a what?" she asked puzzled by his strange behavior.

"He's an elf…one of those elves. The elves Agraelith told me that you didn't get along with so well."

That made sense, elves worked quite well with metals. Still… "Is there no other blacksmith?"

"Of course there is," he looked shocked that she would even ask that.

"Then why can we not go to him?"

His face fell, "Because at the moment he's attempting to mass produce decent swords for all the milita. And at the same time he's trying to get all the horses properly shod. And he's also trying to patch up some of the knight's armor."

"Isn't the elf just as busy?" she asked hopefully.

"No, even though we're allies there's still a bit of discrimination that goes on. Don't get me wrong, he's popular enough but he won't be nearly as busy."

She weighed her options and came to find that there really was only one thing to be done. "All right then, where's Star?"

Illyath blanched, "Please tell me you aren't serious, you can't bring her with us."

"If she's to be fitted as well then she must come."

Carya soon found out why Illyath had been so reluctant. Star's head was now above her waist. The big cat knocked her over when she entered the yard, her large tongue nearly covering her face. Carya laughed and rubbed her silken stomach, "You've grown some haven't you?"

"Now that is an understatement isn't it?" Illyath muttered under his breath. He loved the cat, he really did…but this was ridiculous. The thing could kill him with no force what so ever. All it had to do was swat at him and he would be dead.

"Who has been taking care of her?" Carya stood up and brushed herself off, looking at Illyath for a response.

"Agraelith, he comes by here every day to make sure she's all right," he shifted slightly. "You know Carya, maybe you should go talk to him. You haven't even asked about him since you've been back."

"I've been back all of ten minutes and I must say that he was not the first thing on my mind."

And he thought humans were stubborn creatures… "Carya…think of it, Illyath is a knight. He's out there right now preparing for war. Should you not at least be thinking about him?"

"I am sure he's fine." Of course she had been worrying about him; she just had not wanted to admit it.

"He was promoted you know."

That was fast. "He was?"

"They ah…they made him one of the generals."

That meant…no. "He will not be the one…"

"Yes, he will be one of the knights leading them to battle."

She looked away. She needed to talk to him, the armor could wait.

* * *

Reviews are most definitely welcome. I'm not sure how I like how this is progressing so please let me know what you think, input is always nice. 


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